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September 23, 2006 Extension Phase: February 28, 2007 Salter
Tree and Herb Farm
Beginning
the hunt for pilosa, in an early conversation an acquaintance said, Phlox pilosa would teach the full importance of those words. Acknowledgements: A special thanks go to Jerry Mc Clune, Jo Williams, Billy Boyd, Jeff Caster, Gil Nelson, Richard Wunderlin, Brad Ellis, Dennis Hardin, V. T. Alderman, Allen Cherry, the late Kathy Burks, William Scheftall, Jr., Nancy Desmond, Mrs. Deweece Blair, Gary Henry, and the Florida Wildflower Advisory Council’s Executive Committee and Science Committee: I. Research Objective: Develop Sites Develop Product Variety Develop Color Variety Develop Site Diversity Description: “DOWNY PHLOX, PHLOX pilosa: A smaller downy species with stamens completely hidden inside corolla tube. Found in dry woods, sand hills, prairies. Wisconsin, s. Ontario, New York south blooms May-June” (1) “P. pilosa (8-30 inches) has mostly narrow and sharp pointed leaves. The stem is often downy. The flowers are redder than those of P. divaricata, and the tube of the corolla is downy. April to July: in prairies and woodland from Connecticut to Manitoba and southwest to Florida and Texas. A variable species, some forms have ovate leaves. (2) “Phlox pilosa ranges throughout the eastern half of the US and consists of 9 subspecies variously recognized by taxonomists. Check the PLANTS website for more information in this regard. Of these PLANT reports two subspecies (sap. detonsa and ssp. pilosa from Florida. We do not recognize these as distinct on the Plant Atlas. However, this does complicate things a bit due to the probability of multiple genotypes, even within Florida.” (3) Downy Phlox is also known as Prairie Phlox in some listings. (4) Note: I was not able to find an authority on the subspecies to identify the plant material collected from the multiple sites in Madison county and Hernando county. This report does not respond to the sub specie designation. Range in Florida: Phlox pilosa DOWNY PHLOX POLEMONIACEAE The range area for P. pilosa includes most of the panhandle, and central Florida. Site information includes data locations at herbariums at University South Florida, University of Florida and Florida State University, and. Florida Natural Areas Inventory websites. Inventory of Locations Used in Propagation: Origin of Material Environmental Equities, Hudson Florida; native material collected for propagation, sold as 1 gallon pots and rooted linters; purchased 11/05. EE #1 Superior Trees, Lee, FL; 50, 1 gallon pots of P. pilosa, not verified as native by Division of Plant Industry, Botany Section; subsequently identified as a cultivar from Alabama. The material was eliminated from production. OBS#1 Alderman Property, Old Blue Springs Rd, Lee, FL site: in December 05, eight plants were rescued. Later, 30 cuttings taken and seeds were collected May 06. Observations and collections will continue through August 07,
OBS#2 Cottondale Rd intersecting Old Blue Springs Rd, Lee, FL site: cuttings taken and seeds collected May 06. Many of these plants went into the production colony. MAD #1 Hwy 53, two miles south of 1-10 Exit 258, east ditch line: 25 cuttings taken January and February 2006. MAD #2 Intersection of HWY 90 and Sullivan Still Rd, 3.4 miles west of Madison: May 2006 Seeds collected in maintenance area, cutting collections ongoing. The rooted cuttings were also added to the production colony. ASH #1 Ashville Hwy 221, 10 mi south of Quitman, Georgia site. The site is less than 1 mile north of Florida / Georgia border. Cuttings were collected April 06, seeds collected May 06.
Dr. Norcini with IFAS at Quincy, Florida contributed 11 grams of dried plant material for germination. FNAI listings: The Godfrey Herbarium listed sites in Leon and Gadsden counties. No pilosa was found because either it was not visible during the bloom period or disturbed from development activities since location inventory was done, or was not accessible, lacking Florida Department of Transportation approval. Note: All sites on FDOT right of ways were abandoned: after repeated requests to several persons. (See Permits/Letters of Permission/Correspondence.) Description of Sites Used for Production Material Control Plot: 6 rows, 10 plants each. EE #1 Three plants and ten rooted cuttings were transported to STHF Nov 2005 from Hudson, FL. Separation of crowns and rooting of stems created eight plants and ten rooted cuttings to begin propagation. Pilosa showed little transplant shock and no wilting from cutting and rooting during the cold weather of November and December 2005. Description of a wet site: OBS#1 Alderman Site is a north/south oriented, rapidly eroding dirt road. During wet months sand washes four lanes wide and fills ditches on both sides. The west bank is nearly a 90 degree sheer slope with material falling into ditches. On the east side is the beginning of large acreage of monoculture pines. After watching the site for weeks during November 05 a lone pilosa bloom helped define foliage characteristics and allowed further identification of the species. Early in December, the Madison county road crew had erected signage indicating road work and new ditching activity in the area. Madison County Bridge and Road Supervisor Jerry McClune was contacted about the imminent destruction of some of the plants found at the Alderman site. Mr. McClune requested that salvage and collection activities be limited to the maintenance area of the road only. Some plants were relocated to the Salter Tree and Herb Farm (STHF) for stock plant production and for replanting in other suitable locations around Madison, at Mr. McClune’s request. Cuttings were taken off other plants not near enough to be damaged by the ditching activity. Limited cutting activity continued December 05 through June 06. In August 2006, all of the area was disturbed by pine straw harvest with heavy equipment churning up sand where pilosa was growing. Observations will continue during the 2007 no cost time extension period to document pilosa’s rebound activity. The plants growing on the west side of the road on the sheer bank and in the low pasture fence line were not disturbed by this activity. Gathering will continue with permission from Mr. Alderman.
Description of a dry site: OBS #2 Phlox pilosa was reportedly seen in the summer of 2005 growing along the intersection of Old Blue Springs Road and Cottonwood at SE and SW quadrants. Only when the bloom cycle began could the plants be identified. Unlike the Alderman site, this area is very dry, sandy, and full sun. Without water present the plants are spindly and brittle, often only one stem present with a bloom head. Their dormant presence was not visible in early 2006. Cuttings and seeds were collected May 2006. Fifty cuttings were put in rooting cells and seeds were collected. ASH #1 In the winter of 2005 precocious bloomers showed color in January and the striking plants were easily visible throughout the spring. The site contains over one-half mile of pilosa growing along the west bank of a north-south oriented road. Pilosa is present on both sides of the road but not nearly as prevalent on the east side. It is thick along a ditch that is maintained by county road crews on DOT right of way, and on the private landowner side of the fence on the west bank, the land is mowed for hay and P. pilosa is prevalent in the fence line. Pilosa was observed until April and May 2006 when contacts with Georgia Department of Transportation resulted in permission for collection. All plant material was set directly in production plot to collect data on direct rooting, not exposing the cutting material to high mist and rodent damage. Approximately 60 stems were placed in the plot. Many stems dried quickly and disappeared, some continued to bloom and dried. By September, new growth was visible from plants that had disappeared after rooting. Continued growth is being observed as the weather cools. Stems that were buried horizontally, with several nodes below the soil line offered resistance by June and then disappeared. No growth is visible as of September from this experiment. Observation will continue through the winter of 2006 to test the ability of a fallen stem, washed by soil, rooting as a consequence. MAD #1 Madison HWY 53 this location was noted in the FNAI listings. A few cuttings were taken in January and February 2006 but it appears to be a weak colony and the high vehicle traffic determined it to be a less desirable site. Cuttings did poorly the first year. Stems were weak. Observations need to continue into the winter months, until the plants are one-year-old. MAD #2 Hwy 90 and Sullivan Still Rd, May 2006, Pilosa plant material is rescued from maintenance area and eroding banks and transplanted to production plot. Mature seed heads are harvested. After six weeks, new growth allowed thirty more cuttings to be harvested. Cuttings were added to production area and irrigated field site. The Division of Plant Industries, Plant Inspection Division of FDACS, Gainesville FL, confirmed the identification of EE, OBS #1 and #2, and the ASH #1 plant samples. The Sullivan Still site material was identified by Joanna Booth. Dr. Richard Weaver noted the exceptional color quality of the Madison samples. ASH #1, OBS #1, OBS #2 ( See addendum.) Permits/Letters of Permission/Correspondence: The following individuals offered permission and support for collecting material for the grant. The letters are included in the attachments. Mr. V.T. Alderman, Old Blue Springs Rd, Lee DOF Twin Rivers State Park Dennis Weaver Jerry McClune, Madison County, FL Billy Boyd, HWY 221, Ashville, FL/Quitman, GA GDOT FDOT Correspondence with Chason and Morarity (See addendum) Note: Clarification and
cooperation is needed for wildflower propagation. Permits and plant
rescue response teams need to be structured and a coordinated venture
begun state-wide to save native vegetation subject to rapid development
in Florida today. If rescue activity is already in place, it is an
obscure resource to locate. The late Kathy Burks, when working at
Florida Native Areas Inventory advised me on proper procedures for
collecting in the wild and how to gain permission. I was not successful
with Florida agency authorizations but found landowners and county
officials more willing to assist collection activities. Seasonal variations do not appear to deter P. pilosa’s behavior. While 2005 brought severe storms and hurricanes through Florida, the rainfall was above average in March and April which produced a season of abundant blooms in north Florida. The fall and early winter were dry in 2005. December rains brought out some early blooms and foliage. The early spring weather was much different in 2006. In January 2006 precipitation was 2.36 inches compared to an average yield of 5.36 inches. February followed with 7.35 inches verses an average of 4.63 and March was at drought conditions with 0.29 verses 6.47 for an average. April was down 2.5 inches and May was showing 4.04 precipitation from a 4.95 expected average. The season was erratic with rainfall and very hot as well. Phlox pilosa in the wild did not seem to mind the early drought and seems to be well adapted to wet/dry conditions. The Ashville site showed good robust blooms in January and February, before the peak arrived when pilosa bloomed heavy for three more months. Automatic watering schedule: The test plot and production area are given a deep soaking two times a week with overhead sprinklers unless it has rained. Soil Considerations for P. pilosa STHF grant production inventory will be kept available at the nursery in Madison for two additional years to give marketing publicity time to circulate. P. pilosa seed from the grant will be added to the STHF perennial wildflower mix and packed for 2007 in the small packets for the public. Some seed from the summer 2006 seed harvest will be direct sown into irrigated section of the propagation area. Market through web site: Pilosa is listed on the STHF web site for sale as plants and seed packets as of September 15, 2006. This listing will continue for 2007 and 2008 at the minimum. See http://www.saltertreeandherbfarm.com Links with STHF vendors of the small seed packets are listed on the web. Ongoing activities include: Seed collecting, increasing strong condition of genetic pool; plant production at STHF for distribution through seeds, cuttings and larger plants in pots; and increasing production colony to meet projected market response. Testing will continue on germination and soils. Data collection and observation continue on sites to monitor behaviors to external changes. Attempts will continue to link with other parties interested in promoting Florida wildflowers. STHF plans to continue efforts to market P. pilosa through the Wildflower Seed and Plant Growers Association. Findings: Phlox pilosa is highly adaptable to cutting and surviving rooting and transplanting. It can be very active in high erosion areas, even showing signs of vigor in the post disturbed stage. It is susceptible to damage during the bloom stage as the stem becomes brittle and is easily broken if last year’s growth. New growth is more resilient and sometimes vigorous and always delectable it seems. Thankfully, the rooting stage can be as quick as three weeks. Six months will often produce a blooming, seed bearing plant if growing in the ground. Wildlife control during propagation is a challenge. Small mice seek out rooting pilosa sprigs and will eat all at once. Rabbits and deer have a similar behavior when pilosa is in the prime growth and bloom early in the spring. Urban environments may actually be a more “hospitable environment,” regarding foraging. Pilosa seems to have the hardiness and vigor necessary to survive excessive handling for industry production. It also has significant diversity of plant color during the winter dormancy which will make it an “off season attention-getter.” It has a deep maroon foliage in winter and with the contrast of light beige Bahia grass as a backdrop in native conditions, pilosa is beautiful and attractive even while dormant. There should certainly be a welcome spot for pilosa in gardens and yards throughout Florida. Its aggressive behavior in response to seasonal mowing and the effects of erosion, show it should do well as an addition to the horticultural industry. The cool months are the ideal propagation time for P. pilosa. As early as June 1, 2006, many objectives have had a successful conclusion. A no cost extension will be requested to complete the proposed target of 1/2 acre to secure production material and create a stock colony until 2009. Seed stock will be sold to the public and some banked for two additional years. Pilosa is drought and heat tolerant. It can grow in, and seems to prefer low nutrient, sandy soils and will try to bloom repeatedly. It is a plant of disturbed sites. As a pioneer plant it is adaptable to disturbance. Welcome to the plant industry! And with it, polyurethane, pots, black plastic and transportation. Pilosa will take wide ph ranges, will take competition or no competition, will grow in poor soil (i.e. cracks in culverts), and is both wet and dry tolerant. And while it is common for a pilosa plant to experience top growth die-back, taking sometimes three to six months to reappear, pilosa’s characteristics make it ideal to introduce into urban environmental stresses. Conclusions: The research objectives were to develop sites, product variety, color variety and site diversity. All these objectives have been met and described above. The limited exception concerns developing site diversity. Soil differences with respect to organic content appear more detrimental to pilosa than the shade component, however, this aspect needs further observation to isolate responses to shade vs. organic content in the soil. A Bahia lawn site was substituted for the dense shade site, on road front footage for public awareness and duplicating the conditions of a nearby native colony. Over the next three years plants are expected to multiply three fold. Products were developed through an increase in diversity and availability of venues and quantity of plant product. At the beginning of the project there was no P. pilosa seed available commercially and only five plants were found through the native plant industry search. Now, STHF has joined Environmental Equities in propagating P. pilosa plants. Seed is available for sale and research and a production colony of 1320 plants are growing at the STHF propagation sites. And small plants were distributed to private individuals and government agencies in 2006. Distribution and appreciation will continue for Phlox pilosa. 1) What are the natural soil conditions that P. pilosa grows in? 2) Are there any unusual elements present? 3) What are methods to mimic natural soil conditions? Six soil tests were done for analysis and comparison. The application of testing protocol made it difficult to get clear indications of the conditions of selected soil samples. Testing protocol was developed primarily for creating conditions for specific crops. Wildflowers are not currently listed as a crop for analysis codes on IFAS Extension Soil tests. Attempts were made to extrapolate information under these conditions. A standard soil fertility test, ph test, and micro nutrient test were selected to gather information on the condition of the soils where P. pilosa came from and where it would be grown. IFAS Soil reports 1205A This is a sample taken on the STHF of undisturbed native soil (in relation to 1205 B). This site had two successive 25 year mono culture slash pine crops grown on the land. It was left to native re-growth influences after the last harvest in 2001. 1205B same as 1205A except land has been cleared, bulldozed, raked and limed. This is the current production colony site. Concrete is present in this site. Additional tests will be conducted to determine if this site is an anomaly with higher lime content. Questions also arise about whether underlying limestone is present or too much lime was applied during the land clearing and preparation stage. (See addendum.) 1205C This is a sample from a nearby site of a Madison county native colony, OBS #1. Here pilosa grows in a ditch line, on the pasture side of a road dissecting it from the edge of a downhill mono culture pine crop. It is a site of intense erosion where a shear road bank collapses onto the dirt road and requires repeated county maintenance. 1205D STHF site with shade. In 1972 this area was planted as a field grown native specie production site. Unsold species were left to naturalize. It has high organic matter and dense shade and dry sandy soil. 406C Asheville native colony, Hwy 122 N, .8 miles north of the Florida-Georgia border. Because it was on the Georgia side of the border, a request for analysis was sent to Brooks Co., GA. 406D STHF shade grove (same as 1205 D) This sample was included for micro nutrient content analysis. Observations: The ph level of 6.0 at the Asheville site and the 5.7 level at Old Blue Springs, Madison site suggest a slightly acidic preference. However, the 1205B sample has a ph of 7.6 and plants have grown to the diameter of 10 - 12 inches. This suggests that pilosa is not dependent on a narrow ph range. Pilosa specifically rejected the 1205D (406C) site. While a wide range of soil acidity did not seem to slow pilosa down, plants dried immediately after a June transplant of rooted cuttings to 1205D. Cold weather transplants will be attempted for November 2006. No activity has been noted since June 06. It appears pilosa does not like humus. Observations will continue into the cooler season to see if rebound occurs in a high organic matter, dense shade site. In the native sites where P. pilosa grows, water is a big issue in the sandy soil. Pilosa's ability to adapt to wet-dry soil conditions shows it will continue its bloom and seed setting stages, specially if it is disturbed through browsing or mowing or ditching activity. Soil temperature was not considered at the outset of the research period. Data collection needs to show the effects of landscape fabric on the pilosa plantings. Bloom and growth behavior with and without landscape fabric also needs to be monitored. It is expected that there are elevated temperatures of the root ball in black plastic pots and soil temperature changes near and under woven plastic fabric. Wildlife in the Neighborhood Mice are devastating to rooted liner production. New cuttings in March 06 were denuded over night. Established cuttings were cropped also, but showed new growth emerging in ten days to two weeks. Patience and removal from the lush mist house condition was required. A theory that pilosa will disappear for periods requires patience to wait for rebound growth. Some rebounding occurs within two weeks but no material is being discarded in hopes that root activity of the perennial will provide new growth as the seasons change. Deer continue to graze on phlox. Nothing has deterred them for long. Commercial sludge did not work, pinwheels did not work for long, and dried blood loses effect quickly. No form of human scent left at the perimeter of the production sites had any deterrence. In July 2006, swifter sheets that had collected the family hound dog’s hair seem effective. Plans to construct motion detector spray system are being considered. Rabbits and turkey show signs of being present in the production areas. The turkeys scratch and nip wildflowers and the pellets left behind indicate both deer and rabbits are grazing on P. pilosa. An in-kind-donation from STHF will be a purchase of 600 feet of chicken wire to form a tent over new pilosa transplants until the plants are established. This will be tried as a benign deterrent and preferable to running electric wire. (See addendum.) Note: Urban areas will not succumb to wildlife foraging as much as rural acreage. The Ashville site is fenced on both sides of the highway. OBS # 1 and 2 have large open areas with live stock and monoculture pines but have not exhibited heavy forage damage. Pests are now labeled “wildlife” and are falling under the general philosophy of cooperating with nature, to get plants established. Fertilizer On March 1, 2006 a general all purpose flower and garden fertilizer, Scott’s 10-10-10 time release plant food was broadcast on the production plot. A second application was applied June 1 2006. In the control plot, rows EE1,1-10 and OBS1, 1-10 received fertilizer only. Under the control plot conditions, no response or benefit in growth appeared in plants treated with 3 mo time release 10-10-10 fertilizer. Also, topical applications at bud state produced no significant difference in quantity of bloom or seed set. Note: After a soil testing consultation was done with William Schaftall, Jr., of the Leon County Extension Service, questions came up over the relevance of a fertilizer program. The control plot data show pilosa does not respond to added commercial dense nutrients. With a low nutrient need, a low fertilization program would avoid micro nutrient build-up which may impair performance and get soil out of balance. Consideration continues for environmentally benign approaches and a further concern to establish a more “native” site for the control plot. More information is needed on fire maintained landscape and the release of nutrients from the burning. Pilosa won't have need for much organic material with low nutrient needs and environmental conditions that select for more complete (full) decomposition. Failure to perform should not be due to lack of organic material. If pilosa grows in sand, under pines, it gets acid from pine needles but leeching reduces the chance for nutrient build-up. Increasing organic matter in sand does not appear to be a requirement but may enhance conditions for pilosa in the horticultural environment. Production Methods: Creating Product Variety Seeds: Harvesting: Seeds are collected when the capsule is turning from green to beige. Stems are left in a dry airy place and moved to a muslin bag to finish the drying process. Capsules of pilosa are capable of projecting seed 4-6 feet and cure at differing rates. Keeping the stem material contained in cloth or paper bags is the only way to minimize lost seed. Germination: The seed sample collected June 06, from ASH #1 was processed at Tallahassee Seed Testing Company, August 31 06. A 92 percent TZ report was issued. The TZ test only shows live tissue present. Abnormal or dormant seed are not defined. As of September 15, 2006 the full germination test of the pilosa sample had not reached fifty percent. The lab was advised to continue with the process and complete data will be made available. Seed will be sold to the public in small seed packets. A small amount of seed will be donated by STHF for research, as long as seeds remain in the STHF seed bank. OBS#1 December 05 Seed capsules were collected during the rescue operation. Original material: Dried plant material was provided by IFAS Quincy and was planted December 05. No sprouts were visible by March 06, nothing visible by June 06. No seeds were visible in the material planted but all material was sown. Sites: Seeds collected from OBS #1 and #2 and MAD #2. TZ results are in, and waiting for germination results. On site germ testing was conducted for eight days. Phlox will usually sprout in the fall and winter temperatures in 10 days to two weeks in a mist house. Inside, with temperatures at 73-75 degrees Fahrenheit, the sand filled container had seed sprouting on the eighth day. The Sullivan Still Rd sample began spouting on the ninth day with no sign of sprouting of EE, OBS or ASH samples between wet towels. Doc # 6. In August 2006,
correspondence with Dr. Wunderlin led to contacting an expert on
POLEMONIACEAE, Carolyn Ferguson, curator at the Kansas State University
Herbarium. Ms. Ferguson was unable to provide information on subspecies
identification. The question of the probability of P. divaricata
and pilosa crossing was discussed, as well. There are no studies
that she is aware of that have tested the percentage of seeds showing
cross pollinating from these two species. STHF will plan on separating
pilosa and divaricata to reduce the potential of cross
pollination as much as possible. Cuttings: In the mist house, a cutting with three to four nodes was placed with two nodes below soil and two nodes above soil in a potting soil mix. No rooting hormone is needed with pilosa. In general, pilosa has a rapid rooting behavior. It roots in two to three weeks in dormant condition, during the winter months in a mist house or greenhouse environment. Misting occurs three times a day for ten minutes each session. It is slower to root in spring and summer when it is active with seed production but is still showing rooting attempts during the summer heat and bloom cycle. When the temperature rose in March, mice attacked the cuttings in the rooting trays and would continue to eat the new growth as pilosa attempted to rebound. Rooting during the cold months in the mist house was much more successful with near 100 percent success for cuttings taken then. Cuttings will be contained in screen or mesh in 2006 / 07 season to combat mice. Transplants and rescued plants: Half of the transplants will have immediate die back, meaning a quick drying of top material. The other half will be vigorous with little shock and can show buds and immerging sprouts on the stem and at the soil line within one month from being moved. Plants that have experienced shock may begin sprouting after three months. (See addendum: Transplants and rescue.) Direct placement of cuttings into soil: Since pilosa roots so easily, a section of the production plot was designated for direct placement of cutting material. Eights stems were grouped in twos and threes and were buried three to four inches deep. Rooting stimulator was applied weekly for three weeks. Note: Still collecting data. Companion plants are allowed to co-mingle with pilosa plants to cover the ground. Moisture is higher with more foliage around some pilosa plants. Mist house inventory is at 105 cuttings rooting as of Sept 15, 2006. Mulch: Half of the test plot plants received pine straw mulch. At this point, observation shows that mulching does not seem to aid pilosa in the plant establishment period. Pilosa seems to show vigorous growth behavior with and without mulch depending on the season. (See Behaviors, below.)
Site development A Control Plot was started with the first sixty plants. Six rows of ten plants; three rows of Hernando county material and three rows Madison county material. Original plants purchased and rooted cuttings done 11/05-1/06 from Environmental Equities and rescued plants from Old Blue Springs Rd, 12/05. Plant designation is EE1, 1-10; EE2, 1-10, EE3, 1-10, OBS1 1-10, OBS2 1-10; and OBS3 1-10. Row EE1 and OBS1 were fertilized in March and June. ½ rows EE1, EE2 and ½ of rows OBS1 and OBS2 received pine straw mulch. Full sun site: The test plot and adjacent production plot were selected in full sun since pilosa was observed in full sun conditions at five out of six collection sites. Full sun 2nd site: Beginning to plant 600 linear feet of irrigated seed harvest site as of September 15, 2006. Part shade site: (1205D) This site was planted with ASH #1 material. Observations will continue during no cost extension phase. To demonstrate site diversity the part shade and full shade areas were planted into areas with and without added irrigation. May transplants resulted in die-back of all material. Stems offered resistance at six weeks, but no rebound growth occurred as of September 15, 2006. No further plantings will be added to this site unless reemergence of planted material occurs and not until 11/07 when the production colony should be well developed. Note: Data collection will continue through extension period. See soil analysis interpretation for 1205D. Note: Develop new site exploring co-cropping with Bahia. A new control plot, naturalized site will be established because of watering and soil influences in the horticultural setting.
Seed Harvest and Plant Production Current: September 15, 2006 The control plot had generous seed capsule development ready for harvest June 06. Plants produced seeds and cuttings by the end of six months from start of propagation on November 05. Individual plants in the control plot have been monitored for reaction to cuttings and seed pod harvest. The production plot is next to the control plot and was planted in April 2006. These plants had limited rebound and sporadic blooming with minimal seed set. By September 15, 2006, seventy percent of the plants were showing initial regrowth from the period of die-back after transplant. Fall/Winter 06 Plants are ready to be sold and distributed to three customers. No new growers have been identified by September 06. Seed stock will be sold to the public, some banked for one to three years, and some planted in irrigated rows at the STHF. Stock plant production at STHF will continue through August 2007. Rooted cuttings will be salable in three months in the winter season, with six month old plants ready for sale in 1 gallon pots, likely blooming in the March-May 2007 time frame. Harvesting has continued to accumulate seed as the pilosa continued to bloom from repeated cuttings and seed harvest. Harvest ended late August in the control plot. Seeds will be offered for further research. Direct seeding data will be collected and retail sale of some seed will be added to the STHF small seed packet distributions. Spring 07 (Ongoing production notes will be added to summary at end of the extension phase.) Production Plot data - Production Source Development Site 2 stock plant production site 600 ft of prime site with drip irrigation/ground cover was donated by STHF to pilosa production Shade site/partial shade site: monitor non response of transplants in April 07; watch for growth and seed production. In general, EE plants out performed OBS plants in growth, flowering but not color diversity. OBS shows more variety of markings Summary: P. pilosa is not rare in north Florida but very rare commercially. Initial rooting and seed collection experience indicates a good probability for the plant to endure high volume propagation. Plants enjoy being pruned and are vigorous in moist areas. They adapt well to dry conditions. Phlox pilosa is reported by several observers to try to bloom year round. My first view of pilosa blooming in Madison county was on a cold December day. It was blooming in Hernando county in November 2005. The control site and production site contain nearly 200 plants in various stages of growth. December 2005 through March 2006, 60 plants were established in the control plot. By May 2006 an additional 60 plants were added to the STHF production plot. The additional 80 plants are in the direct-to-soil stem-rooting experiment. Some material has experienced die-back and will be left undisturbed to observe rebounding. The production time table was adversely affected by heavy foraging from wildlife. It is not conclusive that weather affected the production of pilosa since it exhibits a high adaptability to drought and flood conditions. Many native colonies of P. pilosa undergo mowing by county and state road crews. This effects seed and cutting collection but also insures that there will be another bloom period likely in six to eight weeks. Many colonies are present on Hwy 90 between Madison and Monticello. If policy changes occur with FDOT supporting collection activities, increased production can occur. Current procedures for newcomers to the plant gathering process can seem daunting at best. Florida Department of Transportation requires months in advance permission requests, with specific locations required. So, it is difficult to explore any DOT right of way for species to be propagated. With the maintenance and development activity that proliferates Florida roadways, it seems unlikely that these areas will remain viable areas to collect propagation material of native species even those inventoried. As of November 2006, FL DOT has allowed permitted collection activity on selected roads regarding a subsequent research project. Behaviors: There are two distinct seasons to pilosa's rebound behavior. In the spring, when forage is scarce and when dense nutrients are absent, mice, rabbits, turkey and deer decimate pilosa as though it is exceptional forage. After this early cropping, pilosa rebounds with vigor, to display mid-season blooms. These blooms experience less browsing because of alternate forage sources and allow the essential seed setting session for reproduction purposes. After mid-season seed collecting activity, pilosa attempts to continue to reproduce seed, by blooming again, though the plant seems to expire under the expectations to set seed during the intense heat of summer. By August, it appears exhausted and dies back. These plants are observed to rebound with vigor as soon as summer's intense heat subsides. Pilosa appears to be able to bloom all year long. The Asheville site was discovered in January 2006 by a few early blooms and blooms continued through early May. Seed had set by early June and it was mowed soon after seed collecting occurred. Around Madison, the sites have continued to show scattered blooming until mid-August. Often blooms appear in late November and December. Pilosa appears to be a fierce competitor where competition is a major factor with food, seeds production and root disturbance. With Bahia in the grassland community pilosa has a different but equally effective presence in plant structure and behavior. Pilosa behaves like a pioneer species in that it is adapted to low competition disturbed sites; when an area is scraped, or through root disturbance, new plants are stimulated at the nodes and activity begins in earnest regardless of nutrients. Because pilosa also flourishes in high competition STHF will consider co-cropping it with Bahia. Pilosa also shows versatility in that it is adapted to dry/wet conditions. It will tolerate extremes in climate patterns with temperature and moisture. Mulching behavior shows equally wide range of application. Pine mulch seemed to hold pilosa back in the winter, where bare sand plants seemed robust. Later, in the summer, the mulched area showed more lush growth than the bare sand plants. Site and Production Summary: The location of sites for continued collection and production are established and available for short term. The production stock colony is established and will provide material for ongoing production needs. A varied genetic pool from six sites, including central Florida, insures good color variety. Not enough seed was produced in the control plot to document germ percent by site. Ongoing deterrents for wildlife management are being explored. Trials with human hair and dog have been tested through the summer of 2006. Observations will be continuing on deterrent activity. (See addendum.) Other questions to ask? Why is P. pilosa not wide spread? If it is artificially maintained, can it withstand competition with grasses? Is it a plant for restoration? Is it adaptable to fire? Does it prefer a winter or summer burn if at all? How does soil temperature of plants in plastic pots and landscape fabric affect growth patterns? Is competition a major factor in the behavior of pilosa? Are there other factors besides soil that contribute to competitive behavior in P. pilosa? II. Development Objectives: Increase Market Diversity/Availability Increase Market Quantity 1. Create market with growers Notice to Growers/Wildflower Seed and Plant Growers Association Listed in Association of Florida Native Nurseries member inventory Listed in the Plant List Feb – May 2. Create retail market for pilosa O’Toole’s Herb Farm, Madison: OTHF currently buys 1 gallon wildflower plants from STHF. They have expressed interest in retailing pilosa when plants are ready. Small seed packet sales: STHF has a seed dealer’s
license to sell small packets of seeds directly to the public. Anthony Tulino, private landowner, central Florida Department of Forestry, Richard E. Weaver, Jr., Botanist, collector Jeff Caster, Florida
Department of Transportation, landscape architect, wildflower education
project STHF grant production inventory will
be kept available at the nursery in Madison for two additional years to
give marketing publicity time to circulate. Links with STHF vendors of the small seed packets are listed on the web.
Findings: As early as June 1, 2006, many objectives have had a successful conclusion. A no cost extension will be requested to complete the proposed target of ¼ acre to secure production material and create a stock colony until 2009. Seed stock will be sold to the public and some banked for two additional years. Pilosa is drought and heat tolerant. It can grow in, and seems to prefer low nutrient, sandy soils and will try to bloom repeatedly. It is a plant of disturbed sites. As a pioneer plant it is adaptable to disturbance. Welcome to the plant industry! And with it, polyurethane, pots, black plastic and transportation. Pilosa will take wide ph ranges, will take competition or no competition, will grow in poor soil (i.e. cracks in culverts), and is both wet and dry tolerant. And while it is common for a pilosa plant to experience top growth die-back, taking sometimes three to six months to reappear, pilosa’s characteristics make it ideal to introduce into urban environmental stresses. Conclusions: The research objectives were to develop sites, product variety, color variety and site diversity. All these objectives have been met and described above. The limited exception concerns developing site diversity. Soil differences with respect to organic content appear more detrimental to pilosa than the shade component, however, this aspect needs further observation to isolate responses to shade vs. organic content in the soil. A Bahia lawn site was substituted for the dense shade site, on road front footage for public awareness and duplicating the conditions of a nearby native colony. Over the next three years plants are expected to multiply three fold. Products were developed through an increase in diversity and availability of venues and quantity of plant product. At the beginning of the project there was no P. pilosa seed available commercially and only five plants were found through the native plant industry search. Now, STHF has joined Environmental Equities in propagating P. pilosa plants. Seed is available for sale and research and a production colony of 1320 plants are growing at the STHF propagation sites. And small plants were distributed to private individuals and government agencies in 2006. Distribution and appreciation will continue for Phlox pilosa.
Footnotes: 1. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America by Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny, 1968, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, p 226. 2. Wildflowers of the United Stated, by Harold William Rickett, The New York Botanical Garden, McGraw-Hill Book Company, p 412. 3. Dr. Richard Wunderlin e-mail, Tues, Oct 25, 2005 4. 1. POLLINATION BIOLOGY OF FOUR SOUTHWESTERN SPECIES OF PHLOX (POLEMONIACEAD): INSECT VISITATION IN RELATION TO COROLLA TUBE LENGTH; Suzanne C. Strakosh* and Carolyn J. Ferguson, The Southwestern Naturalist 50 (3): 291-301 September 2005 4.2. Natural hybridization between an outcrossing and a selfing Phlox (Polemoniaceae): the maternal species of F1 hybrids Carolyn J. Ferguson, Donald A. Levin, and Robert K. Jansen;Plant Systematics and Evolution 218: 158 (1999) 4.3 A CHLOROPLAST DNA PHYLOGENY OF EASTERN PHLOX (POLEMONIACEAE): IMPLICATIONS OF CONGRUENCE AND INCONGRUENCE WITH THE ITS PHYLOGENY Carolyn J Ferguson , and Robert K. Jansen 4.4 Relationships of Eastern North American Phlox (Polemoniaceae) based on ITS Sequence Data; Carolyn J Ferguson, Franziska Kramer, and Robert K. Jansen; Sytemic Botany (1999), 24(4): pp. 616-631. 4.5 Pollinator Importance and Temporal Variation in a Population of Phlox divaricata L. (Polemoniaceae); Shelly Wiggam and Carolyn J. Ferguson: Am. Midl. Nat. 154: 42-54 4.6 POLEMONIACEAE PHLOLOGNEY AND CLASSIFICATION: IMPLICATIONS OF SEQUENCE DATA FROM THE CHLOROPLAST GENE NDHF1; L. Alan Prather, Carolyn J. Jerguson, and Robert K. Jansen: American Journal of Botany 87(9): 1300-1308. 2000.
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SALTER HERB & TREE FARM
Madison, Florida (850)
973-3575
joanna@saltertreeandherbfarm.com |