[RP TownTalk] Arundinaria gigantea

[Dwight Holmes]

http://www.tripplebrookfarm.com/iplants/Arundinaria.html

On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 10:53 AM, annelbv <annelbv at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Does anyone know where to find it?
> Thanks
>
> Anne
>
> Arundinaria gigantea and tecta are larval hostplants for several very local
> species of southern butterflies, so I have spent many years tracking down
> the stations for this plant genus all over the Coastal Plains of Maryland
> and Delaware.  Although common in southern Virginia, Arundinaria is very
> rare in our area, and probably because of this, none of the rare leps have
> ever showed up here.  Small accumulations of "perhaps" indigenous
> Arundinaria have been found, and may still occur, in the following Maryland
> counties west of the Chesapeake: Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Prince Georges,
> and Charles.  On the Delmarva, one accumulation spot is known in Dorchester
> Co., and one site has been recorded in Northhampton Co., VA.  There are
> currently no known sites in Delaware.  Much of this has been documented in a
> paper by Donnell Redman appearing in Maryland Naturalist around 8-10 years
> ago.  The largest known concentration in Maryland is in the woodland behind
> Miami Beach Park in Baltimore Co.  I say "perhaps" indigenous above because
> most of the sites in Maryland for Arundinaria occur near old mill ruins for
> which I suspect the cane, with its well-known substantial and close-knit
> root system, was probably used in the 19'th century to stabilize the soil
> along millraces.  (Invasive Eurasian Phragmites could also perform this
> function, but it was rare and mostly unknown in the U.S. during this
> period.)  Since Arundinaria is so rare in Maryland, but common in the South,
> the old millrace concentrations of it may actually represent introductions
> of it from the South by knowledgeable millers.  We'll never know for sure.
> Although Maryland has had colder temperatures than areas where Arundinaria
> is more common, it seems to persist in Maryland quite well, but does not
> spread nearly as quickly as Phragmites or tropical bamboos.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>  TownTalk mailing list
>  To post to the list, send mail to TownTalk at riverdale-park.org
>  TownTalk-request at riverdale-park.org is for automated subscription
> processing only
>  http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk
>
>  For more information about Riverdale Park, visit
> http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us
>



-- 
1st Annual Riverdale Park ArtsFest
Town Center (at the MARC)
Sunday May 4, 2008 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Riverdale Park Community Calendar
On the Wiki
http://rpwiki.wetpaint.com/page/Riverdale+Park+Events+Calendar