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• <br />40 <br />• <br />From the president <br />Welcome back to all of our <br />members to the beginning of another <br />membership year of the Minnesota <br />Native Plant Society. I am pleased <br />to report that we continue to grow in <br />membership and as an organization, <br />thanks to an active board of directors <br />and the contributions of our <br />membership. <br />What a fantastic summer it has <br />been to be a member of the <br />Minnesota Native Plant Society! Our <br />members really stepped up and <br />offered some exceptional <br />opportunities to visit natural <br />communities throughout the state. <br />On behalf of the society, we thank <br />Hannah Texler, Paul Bockenstedt <br />(MNPS) and the Iowa Native Plant <br />Society, Karen Schik, Barb Delaney, <br />and Ken Arndt for leading outings to <br />Minnesota's Scientific and Natural <br />Areas and destinations on the <br />Minnesota -Iowa border. Thanks to <br />Doug Mensing for his effective <br />service as field trip coordinator in <br />2005, and to Ken Arndt and Mary <br />Brown for serving as coordinators for <br />2006. <br />Our board and officers are working <br />on some interesting projects to move <br />the society forward in 2006. <br />Planning for the spring 2006 <br />symposium is underway. It is <br />pointing to a location south of the <br />Twin Cities, addressing the ecology <br />of vegetation in the Driftless Area of <br />southeastern Minnesota. <br />The board is working on designing <br />and printing our very first Native <br />Plant Society T-shirt in the coming <br />months, which should serve to <br />increase our exposure within our <br />communities and social circles. Scott <br />Milburn and Jason Husveth will be <br />participating in workshops through <br />the Science Museum of Minnesota <br />(funded by the National Science <br />Foundation) to document the <br />Society's 23 -year history and to <br />preserve the many archival materials <br />on loan from our many members. We <br />plan to incorporate much of this <br />archival information into the <br />society's new Web site <br />(www.mnnps.org) and have this <br />information more readily available <br />for the society's 25th anniversary in <br />2007. Shirley Mah Kooyman and <br />Linda Huhn are investigating the <br />possibility of establishing a society <br />scholarship to benefit Minnesota <br />students of botany, ecology, and <br />related areas of study. <br />We always welcome the ideas of <br />our members, and we invite all of our <br />membership to participate in the <br />many programs, field trips, and <br />special events we are planning for the <br />coming year. Please feel free to send <br />your ideas and suggestions to me at <br />president@mnnps.org. I look <br />forward to seeing you all at the <br />November native seed exchange, <br />winter field trips, and future <br />meetings. <br />Jason Husveth, president, Minnesota <br />Native Plant Society <br />Master Naturalists <br />The first Minnesota Master <br />Naturalist Program is underway. <br />This volunteer program is similar to <br />the Minnesota Master Gardener <br />Program. Three locally taught 40- <br />hour courses are: Big Woods, Big <br />Rivers, started this fall; Prairies and <br />Potholes, starting in 2006; <br />Northwoods, Great Lakes, starting in <br />2007. Additional information is at <br />www .minnesotamasternaturalist.org <br />Grey Cloud Dunes SNA <br />2005 marked the first year of the <br />society's stewardship role at Grey <br />Cloud Dunes SNA in Cottage Grove. <br />In cooperation with the DNR, we <br />hosted three work events and one <br />prairie hike. The prairie hike was the <br />best - attended event. Four hard -core <br />souls worked on honeysuckle <br />removal in February, about 15 people <br />stacked brush and cut large trees with <br />hand saws in March, and four <br />intrepid volunteers pulled spotted <br />knapweed on a "slightly warm" <br />evening in July. Many thanks to all <br />members who helped. We hope to <br />increase our participation in 2006. <br />Plant Lore <br />by Thor Kommedahl <br />What is moonseed? <br />Moonseed, also called Canada <br />moonseed, is Menispermum <br />canadense, a member of the <br />moonseed family. <br />How did it get its name? <br />The bluish -black fruits (drupes) <br />each contain a single, crescent moon - <br />shaped, flat seed, hence the name <br />Menispermum, which means <br />"moonseed" from the Greek words. <br />What does the plant look like? <br />It is a climbing, woody vine up to <br />12 feet long. Leaves have three to <br />seven shallow lobes, and the petiole <br />is attached to the blade above the leaf <br />base. The flowers are small and <br />whitish. Some have mistakenly <br />identified moonseed as wild grape <br />because of the resemblances of <br />leaves, fruits, and vines. Leaves are <br />more obtuse than grape leaves. <br />Remember, wild grape vines have <br />tendrils. <br />Where does it grow? <br />It is native to Minnesota in rich, <br />moist thickets and along stream <br />banks. <br />Is it edible or medicinal? <br />The yellow root extract once <br />served as a substitute for sarsaparilla <br />in soft drinks. Early on, it was used <br />as a diuretic and laxative and even <br />listed then as an official drug in the <br />US Pharmacopeia. <br />But is it poisonous? <br />Yes. Fruits and seeds are <br />poisonous. Cases of poisoning, with <br />some fatalities, have been reported <br />from children confusing moonseed <br />with wild grapes (which are edible). <br />The poison is an alkaloid that affects <br />the nervous system. Menispermum is <br />in the family of plants that produce <br />tubocurarine, the chief ingredient of <br />curare — the South American arrow <br />poison. <br />Would anyone actually cultivate <br />this plant? <br />Yes, it is cultivated outdoors for its <br />foliage. It can be propagated from <br />seeds and by cuttings. <br />3 <br />