Cruickshank Sanctuary, March 3, 2011

A quick look around to see if anything new. Found two wildflowers new to me: Apalachicola toadflax and pinebarren frostweed (aka rock-rose). I had also found the latter earlier in the day in Wickham Park. Sections had recently been burned, so I photographed those areas for a record of recovery.

_________________________________________

American white waterlily (Nymphaea odorata, Nymphaeaceae )

Native

Several water lilies were in bloom near the wooden bridge.

_________________________________________

Apalachicola toadflax (Linaria floridana, Plantaginaceae)

Native

I found a few of these wildflowers in dry, sandy soil near the beginning of the trail (west of the bridge). This species of Linaria has short spurs and long flower pedicels (stems). The other species of Linaria in Brevard Co. is L. canadensis, which has long spurs and short pedicels.

_________________________________________

Pineland scalypink (Stipulicida setacea, Caryophyllaceae)

Native

This is a tiny, wiry, nearly leafless wildflower. Stem leaves are minute, scale-like. Tiny, 5-petaled flowers at tips of stems. Bristly stipules occur at stem joints. Found in dry, sandy soils.

_________________________________________

Pinebarren frostweed, rock-rose (Helianthemum corymbosum, Cistaceae)

Native

I first put this down as a piriqueta, just like the one I had seen in Wickham Park earlier in the day. However, when I got home and looked at photos and descriptions of piriqueta, I realized this and the Wickham Park plant were something else. I finally identified it as rock-rose (called frostweed by the USF/ISB online plant atlas). Its main identifying characteristic of the blossom of this species is the large number of stamens, all tipped with orange anthers. They look like a circle of tiny matches.

_________________________________________

Netted pawpaw (Asimina reticulata, Annonaceae)
Native

_________________________________________

Rusty staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea, Ericaceae)

Native

One of three species of Lyonia in Brevard. This species and L. fruticosa both have leaves that have a rusty appearance on their underside. The flower stems also are rusty spotted. Flowers are bell-shaped, white with rusty spots. The edges of the leaves of this species are turned under; whereas, L. fruticosa leaf edges are not turned under.

_________________________________________

Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida, Ericaceae)

Native

This is the third Lyonia found in Brevard. It has urn-shaped, dark pink blossoms.

_________________________________________

Shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites, Ericaceae)
Native

_________________________________________

Wild pennyroyal (Piloblephis rigida, Lamiaceae)
Native

_________________________________________

Burn 1

Several sections of the sanctuary had recently undergone a prescribed burn, exposing sandy patches critical to scrub jay survival.

_________________________________________

Burn 2

 Palmettos and grass quickly grow back.

_________________________________________

Burn 3

Emerging bracken fern and redroot. The compressed leaves of redroot are distinctive.

_________________________________________

Burn 4

"Toasted" puffball fungi.

_________________________________________