We all have our obsessions, Ed. I¹m glad ours revolve around plants and
people and not guns and war.
I actually know some of the people who worked on this project. It is always
possible that mistakes were made, since volunteers (like us ENTS folks)
participated. I have done quite a lot of research in the area of plant
ranges. Like you (I¹m guessing), I think most published ranges are overly
conservative. In the NY Flora Atlas, which is run out of the NYS Museum in
Albany, no plant is listed unless it is backed by an herbarium specimen.
Obviously, some plants are going to be missing. (This atlas is now linked to
the PLANTS database.) I find disjunct populations interesting puzzles and
I¹m always tempted to fill in the blanks.
Anyway, thanks for sending the key. Before I chop down any of our Aralias,
I will at least make sure they have fuzzy undersides.
--
Carolyn Summers
63 Ferndale Drive
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706
914-478-5712
From: Edward Frank <[email protected]>
Reply-To: <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:39:52 -0400
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: [ENTS] Re: Devil's Walking Stick - Arilia spinosa
Carolyn.
I am willing to go with their findings for now. They made an effort to
locate populations of Aralia. They found elanta, but not spinosa. It just
strikes me as odd that it is not naturally present as the species seems to
be spreading its range and that the area is potentially viable for the
species, adjacent to counties with natural populations, and it is not
present. There may be potential for some undocumented populations of the
species by chance not found in the compilation, but no reason for turf
issues. I can't see any reason that their results would be biased in this
regard. I am insanely driven to reevaluate various stated and unstated
assumptions of distribution, height, size, age, and similar issues when it
comes to trees and forests. I want things to make sense to me. I am not
satisfied that they purportedly make sense to someone else who I don't know
anything about.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
>
> From: Carolyn Summers <mailto:[email protected]>
>
> To: [email protected]
>
> Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2009 8:22 PM
>
> Subject: [ENTS] Re: Devil's Walking Stick - Arilia spinosa
>
>
> It also has a point map showing the locations of many populations of A. elata
> throughout the NYC metro region. Their researchers could not find any
> populations of A. spinosa to map. So it is not an issue of A. spinosa
> extending its range, rather it is a case of mistaken identity. I would think
> it unlikely that they would have missed a population at NYBG, but maybe there
> was a turf issue? :)
> --
> Carolyn Summers
>
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