The Search for Linnaea borealis The Story of Expedition 1

1. The Search for Linnaea borealis The Storyof Expedition 1 May 27-28, 2006

2. The background… • The story of Linnaea in Tennessee

3. Looking for LinnaeaOne of Tennessee’s N species Linnaea borealis

4. Linnaea in Tennessee First & last observation Sevier County “in Mountain woods” Albert Ruth August 11, 1892

5. A circumpolar plant Linnaeus knew in Sweden • The green dot shows the range extension that the Ruth specimen represents

7. A beautiful but delicate native wildflower is the icon of Linnaeus himself

8. Carolus Linnaeus 1707-1778 Father of taxonomy & the binomial Systema naturae (1735) Species plantarum (1753) Genera plantarum (1754)

10. Collected by Albert Ruth then living in Knoxville Note he wrote the label after his move to Texas 1844-1932

11. Bought after Ruth’s death from his daughter in Texas because the UTK Herbarium burned to the ground in 1934

12. 1904-1997 Identity and significance recognized by renowned UT Botanist Jack Sharp

13. Location is equal to 25,000 acres! Need GPS!

14. Ruth never brought the specimen to anyone’s attention because he mis-id’ed it after moving to Texas! We need DNA Barcodes!

15. DNA Barcodes will challenge the nature of Linnaean taxonomy DNA Barcodes of life 1707-1778 Father of taxonomy & the binomial Systema naturae (1735) Species plantarum (1753) DNA Barcodes: DNA segments that map well on taxonomy

16. Linnaea borealis,Pictures found by Julie

17. The preparation… • Old maps: Where was Ruth in 1892? Where did roads penetrate the high elevations in Sevier County, Tennessee? • Answer: 2 places, (1) vicinity of Newfound Gap Road but crossing mts at Indian Gap AND (2) road along Porters Creek from the thriving Greenbrier Community…the road becoming a trail up and over Dry Sluice Gap

18. We target Porters Creek because it is so remote and because it harbors the Northern Tree, Heart-leaved Paper Birch (the only TN locale, not discovered until 1970s), which occurs with Linnaea in the North • There are steep N-facing rocky places above 4000 ft that would seem ideal for the hunt • Also Greenbrier was a thriving community in Ruth’s day

19. We found 2 old maps • 1893 USGS Quad for Mt Guyot • This map has some inaccuracies as you will see • 1934 East Half of Great Smoky Mts National Park

20. 1893 USGS Mt Guyot Quad

21. 1893 USGS Mt Guyot Quad Closer-up Note LeConte is NOT on the stateline!

22. 1893 USGS Mt Guyot Quad Closer-up again Note Road follows creek to 3300 ft and becomes path

23. 1934 Park Map, E Half Path follows Porters Creek to Dry Sluice Gap

24. 1934 Park Map, E Half Closer up

25. The Start: 8:30 am, May 27thJess, Mark, Julie, Gillian, Keith Lily, Rose, Carol Ann

26. The picture Julie held up in the previous slide

27. Oxalis montana

28. Stream crossing 1Later we didn’t bother taking off our shoesRose, Julie, Carol Ann, Keith (actually Keith didn’t bother even here)

29. Rose and Keith get interested in a snail at Campsite 31If we had a video, we could show its spinning behavior!

30. Debris avalanche at 4360 ft Young pin cherry

31. Julie in debris scarIt was BigDave Scanlon says that this scar happened in 1984 because he hiked the area before it occurred that year and the Smoky Mt Hiking Club came to the fresh scar just hrs or days after it happened later that same year

32. Clintonia borealis

33. On the Way Down: Porters Creek TrailTree in picture on Rightis World Champion Carya cordiformis tho listed as Carya ovalis by AFA (says Jess)

34. Key elevations on the following maps • Lester Prong jct with Porters Creek is at 3960 ft • Branch to E to Porters Gap is at 3950 ft; 1934 map says BM 3967 ft • Heart-lvd paper birch photographed by Peter ca. 1980 is at 4310-4350 ft as recorded by altimeter back then • This tree died (according to Janet Rock) and the area may have been affected by a larger debris avalanche • Heart-lvd paper birch population mapped by Janet Rock in the 1990s is located W of the location of that tree at 4400 ft and just below • Dry Sluice Gap is at 5375 ft

35. Map by Julie Purple dots are Peter’s GPS pts on Porters Creek ManwayHatched area is location of Heart-lvd Paper Birch population (only one in TN)Brown outline is debris avalanche from Vegetation MapRed dot is Miller Plot (No. Hardwoods)

36. Map by Julie Peter, Julie, Jess got to 5000 ftJess ran out to ATPeter and Keith GPS’ed base of large debris avalanche

37. Map by Julie Vegetation Map for Expedition area extracted by UGA project map

38. Heart-lvd Paper Birch -- Betula cordifolia Photograph by Peter ca. 1980 Celebrator is Mary English Janet Rock says that this tried has died

39. End of Day 1 • Gillian has to turn around (after 3.7 miles) at Campsite 31 to get to the Atlanta Airport • Mark, Carol Ann, Rose, Lily do an amazing number of stream crossing and unmaintained trails (including climbing over large trees and through Rhododdendron) and get back to cars at 5:30 (see next slide) • Keith gets back to the car at 7:30 after 11 hrs of hiking (see next slide) • Peter, Julie, Jess get back to the car, apparently just after Keith, missing him, but also about 7:30

40. Notes found by Peter, Julie, Jess on the way downNote important clue in signatures of note on Right

41. Plant list for Day 1 • Aruncus dioicus • Clintonia umbellula • Oxalis montana • Dentaria diphylla • Houstonia pubera • Tiarella sp. (in bloom at high elevations) • Claytonia carolinana (still in bloom at high elevations!) • Clintonia borealis • Streptopus roseus • Trillium simile • Vaccinium erythrocarpon(not in bloom) • Menziesia pilosa • Ribes • Diphylleia cymosa (tons in bloom on steep wet slopes) • Cardamone clematitis • Parnassia asarifolia(not in bloom) • Viola pallens (or V. McCroskeyi subsp. pallens) • Saxifragum michauxii(not in bloom) • Cardamine clematitis

42. The UT Field Stationand the Chicken Coop Ghetto • Well, for some reason, I neglected to take pictures of the chicken coop ghetto next to the UT field station that Peter, Julie, Carol Ann, Mark, Rose, and Lily stayed in near the Greenbrier entrance…Friday and Saturday nights • Or record the roosters at 4:30 am (Peter left the door open for fresh air and it would have been much quieter if he hadn’t) • The place must supply eggs to all restaurants in Gatlinburg and we looked suspiciously at our plates in the Black Bear Restaurant on Saturday morning before the hike • There were a lot of Chicken and feather jokes

43. May 28th: Peter, Julie scout AT from Newfound Gap to the Jumpoff View from the Jumpoff to the East

44. Charlie’s Bunion from the Jumpoff

45. Peter, Julie, Jess made it to here at 5000 ft and Jess ran out to AT at 5375 ft in “5 or 10 minutes” White dots are hikers at Charlies Bunion Actual spot they made it to is to Left of Charlies Bunion and hidden by ridge coming down from there

46. Closer view of Charlies BunionErosion here occurred in 1927 debris avalanches, conditioned by a logging fire from the NC side

47. Rugelia nudicaulis along the AT

48. Plant list for Day 2 • Trillium simile • Trillium erectum • Rhododendron minus or caroliniana • Erythronium • Kalmia latifolia • Claytonia caroliniana • Houstonia • Rugellia nudicaulis • Solidago glomerata • Clintonia borealis • Streptopus roseus • Potentilla • Disporum maculosum • Smilacina racemosa • Denteria diphylla • Viola pallens or(V. McCroskeyi subsp. pallens) • Amelanchier laevis • Viburnum latanoides

49. The Tasty Food Peter was served after ordering Green Beans in Maggie Valley

50. Results • Well, no Linnaea (yet) • So it was a Spectacular Failure • Make that a Spectacular failure • And it lead to a new round of planning…