08/02/2006 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Plant Lore Restoration of Arden Hills site studied by Thor Kommedahl What is mad -dog skullcap? Mad -dog skullcap is Scutellaria lateriflora, a Minnesota native plant in the mint family. How did it get its names? It was reported in the 1770s as a cure for rabies; hence, the name mad - dog. Scullcap refers to the flower shape, which resembles a helmet with the visor raised. Scutellaria means dish, referring to the pouch on the fruiting calyx. Lateriflora refers to the one -sided flower racemes borne in leaf axils. Where does the plant grow? It grows in moist woods, meadows, and swampy areas throughout the state. What do plants look like? They are perennials; one to three feet tall; paired, opposite, toothed leaves on four -sided stems; and have slender rhizomes. Its blue (sometimes, pink, violet, or white) flowers appear in one -sided racemes from leaf axils (distinguished from common skullcap which has a single bloom in the axil). It flowers from July to September. Has it any medicinal value? Its use for rabies treatment has since been discredited; however, plants contain scutellarin, a flavonoid with sedative and antispasmodic properties. It has been used for treatment of epileptic seizures. Skullcap was once listed in the US Pharmacopeia and the National Formulary for treatment of nervous disorders. Is it poisonous? Not likely. Where cases of toxicity have been reported, the poisoning has been attributed to adulterants such as wood sage added to commercial supplies of skullcap. 6 by Wade J. Hammer, wetland ecologist, Svoboda Ecological Resources. This is an abstract of his talk at the April 6 meeting. The Arden Hills Army Training Site (AHATS) is a 1,786 -acre military installation in Arden Hills, Minn. It is located in Township 30N, Range 23W, within Sections 9, 10, 15, and 16 in Ramsey County. The Original Land Survey, completed in the late 1800s, makes note of bur oak and white oak woodlands, with some tamarack swamps in the low areas in the approximate vicinity of the property. Thirty home sites were displaced when the land was purchased in 1941 by the federal government for use as a military installation. The majority of the construction at the site began prior to World War II. Active munitions production took place there for 22 years, through the Vietnam War. At its peak, 26,000 people were employed as part of the military munitions facility. Due to the industrial use of the site and the solvents discarded on the property, it was listed as a superfund site in 1983. Clean-up of remnants of the industrial production at the site continues. Tallgrass prairie restoration projects have occurred at the AHATS since the early 1990s. As part of a masters of science project, a study assessing the relationships among management (seeding and burning), vegetation, and environmental factors (soil, aspect, and slope) was completed. The study included completion of 75 vegetation surveys, consisting of three random plots in 25 purposively placed grids. The surveys consisted of cover class data for all plant species. The surveys were completed twice during the summer of 2002 (late June /early July and mid - August). Multivariate statistical analyses of the vegetation survey data revealed relationships between vegetation and soil texture, vegetation and shallow depth to ground water (within one meter), and individual plant species and fire frequency. The intended use of the findings is to improve management of designated tallgrass prairie restoration sites at the AHATS. Pale or cream gentian This is a summary of the April 6 Plant -of -the -Month talk by Wade J. Hammer Gentiana flavida, pale or cream gentian, grows one to three feet tall and is typically unbranched. The leaves and stems are yellowish -green and glabrous; the flowers are cream or white. It is found in moist prairies and open woodlands in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes states. Pale gentian flowers in late summer to early fall, and bumblebees are its primary pollinators. Its small seeds are dispersed by wind and water. Bob Djupstrom retires as head of SNA program Bob Djupstrom retired March 2 as head of the Scientific and Natural Areas Program. He led it for 24 of its 33 years and oversaw the acquisition of 125 of its 140 sites. The program now encompasses 184,635 acres — more protected acreage than any other state. In the SNA newsletter, Bob sent "an open thank you to the many folks who volunteered their time and energy to the SNA program over the years. I hope the cadre of volunteers out there will continue, will expand, and take an even greater interest in preserving our existing sites as well as assisting in having new sites established."