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Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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Posted by the_virginian Zone 7 NoVA (My Page) on Mon, May 26, 08 at 13:21
| One of the things I am doing in my garden and the surrounding woods is re-introducing native plants that went extinct in my area during the last ice age, but can survive in my area with no problems or impact on the current ecosystem. The Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal Minor) and the Needle Palm (Rhapidophylum hystrix) were both native to most of Virginia a few thousand years ago and were in the southern part of the commonwealth in colonial times. They are well established in my garden and yard with birds spreading the Sabal Minor seeds. Sadly, the vector for the Needle Palm is extinct, the Giant Sloth, however bears and raccons have been known to ingest the smelly fruit when really hungry, so there is hope. I plant the seeds in the woods and the seedlings spring out of the ground after the winter and seem to be growing well through several winters with some actually starting to look like small palms. It will be neat to see a more "deep southern" looking landscape in the years to come. What do you all think about this? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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| Every time you introduce a plant,native to the area or not, you change the ecosystem. Climates change and soil evolves. What was may never be recaptured. But it does sound like a good project for a theme park,"What this area was like eons ago". Plants exist and thrive as a culture not just as a single reintroduced plant. What other plants/animals are you going to introduce and what does your states conservation and forest departments think of your plan? |
RE: Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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| Palm trees are slow growers and even slower to grow to flower and seed. These palms thrive in very similar environments further South with little or no impact on the flora and fauna except the Sabal Minor which provides some fruit for the birds to eat. The soil is the same and now the ideal climate has returned for these slow growing natives to return. BTW, I never asked the DNR nor am I inclined to since the impact will be so low. |
RE: Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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| One reason native growers choose natives is because they are right for the soil and climate that exists and they provide/replace habitat that once was lost. If think if these plants are right for the climate and soil that you have and if they are not invasive, it will make for an interesting experiment. |
RE: Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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| These palms are so slow growing and slow to sow themselves, I doubt they could have much or any impact on the environment other than restoring them to a portion of their past environment where they were once found. I did some more research and it seems the Sabal Minor or Dwarf Palmetto was once found in my area of Virginia in early colonial times, in fact it was reported as far north as Southern New England during this time as well. I am sure it went the way of the Dodo once settlers drained swamps, cut the forests, cleared the land for grazing and plowed over the fields. The population of this palm was not great in Virginia in colonial times either, so they were suseptiable and fragile in the environment to begin with. I just want to see a small population return and become established again. BTW: Joeyeweed, Sabal Minor used to be found in Southern IL and MO until the middle of the 19th century when they too were erradicated by agriculture. |
RE: Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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| Among others, I am growing the southern Trilliums and other southern plants in my zone 5 garden. |
RE: Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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| I think it is unlikely that, by moving plants a modest distance north of their current range, that you will have much luck establishing populations that will actually spread far. for example, you said sabal minor occurs not too far south of you and is spread by birds. That suggests that, with some regularity, some sabal minor seeds must find their way into your area. However, sabal minor doesn't currently occur naturally in your area, indicating that for some reason it isn't well adapted to the area. Maybe you can grow a population of sabal minor in your garden and the immediate surroundings, but I don't expect that seeds spread from your garden to regional woods would have any better chance of becoming established than seeds from farther south. On the bright side, I also doubt there is any harm to trying since I think at least a few sabal minor seeds already arrive in your area with birds, at least occasionally. But who knows? climates change and maybe your plants represent the first of many sabal minor that will one day be growing in Virginia. I agree that they are neat looking plants, and lend a real southern feel to the woods. I have to admit I am not familiar with Needle Palm. |
RE: Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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| I think Sabal Minor is spreading North, albeit at a very slow rate and in North Carolina has reclaimed some of the territory in very modest numbers where it was recently absent. Birds do spread the palm, but germination and survival rates must be low and the growth rate is very slow. Some of these palms are over 100 years old in their natural range, but their numbers are anything but prolific or invasive. In my area, I know of one population that is starting to try to recolonize, but since it is in public place, the seedlings and young plants are either mowed over or pulled out as weeds. I have rescued some of the small seedlings and they are growing in my garden to hopefully become a seed source. It is an experiment that will take many years to see if it is successful. The Needle Palm is even slower to re-colonize because of its extinct vector and is actually endangered in the wild. Florida and a few other states protect them for harvest or demolition by bulldozer. This palm grows much larger than the Sabal Minor is a clumping, hedge-like and while it has short trunk(s) it can be 10'x 10' when mature. It is also the most cold hardy palm in the world having been known to survive -20F for short periods. |
RE: Re-introducing extinct natives in my area
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| The Sabal minor was with us here in southeast Tidewater a few hundred years ago, eradicated I am sure from clearing for purposes of farming and other human needs. They may not have been a dominant feature of our natural landscape but alas, still there. (Often they reseed themselves and spread by clumping with vigor in our area.) Southeast Tidewater is reintroducing Sabal minor currently for very practical reasons: they are completely sustainable plants and are great for wetlands (for which we have many) and we have to plant in these areas frequently, and they offer great color as well as food for birds and they hold their form through the entire year here. Southeast Tidewater is very much a part of the coastal Carolinas in flora, fauna and culture, and we embrace the mild temps which include very mild low winter temps often seen in the coastal Carolinas. We take advantage of this by using such plants as Sabal, Quercus virginiana (Live Oak, which are terribly native) and Persea palustris/borbonia for common everyday planting. This planting group (see http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchCommunityUid=ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684469) is dominant in our area and is often seen as insignificant by Virginians in other locals, as well as state officials who in my past correspondence to them don't care to list such plants (aforementioned) in wetlands lists for Virginia. This group of flora is our flora, by which we live by, and as such connects us to the coastal Carolinas as a distinct floral community. Be proud to use them! And don't let anyone diminish their importance or their stature in our culture. |
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