Plant Taxonomy - Introduction

Brief History & Preliminary Checklist of the Plants of the �Big Woods Natural Area,� St. Cloud, MN

Stephen G. Saupe, PhD.
College of St. Benedict/St. John�s University
Biology Department
Collegeville, MN 56321
(320) 363 � 2782, (320) 363 � 3202, fax
ssaupe@csbsju.edu

Introduction:
The �Big Woods Natural Area� is a 20 acre parcel of land located adjacent to Oak Hill Community School, St. Cloud (Co Rd 136). This parcel is located at N124 (township), W28 (range), and 22 (section). For many years this parcel was owned by the Bartholemy/O�Gorman family. In the late 1990�s Mr. E. Schnettler and the City of St. Cloud entered into an agreement to purchase this property. As a result, the city would own the western 10 acre portion, adjacent to Oak Hill School while Mr. Schnettler would develop the eastern 10 acre portion as an addition to the Tiffany developments (Tiffany Park Two, Plat Five). Mr. Schnettler submitted a plat to the City of St. Cloud and it was reviewed by an Environmental and Development Team (EDT) as the first test case of the St. Cloud Environmentally Sensitive Areas Ordinance. This review occurred in fall of 1998 and the development of this property piece was discussed. The individuals on the EDT team included Patti Gartland, Dennis Ludvig, Jerry Hengel, Steve Gaetz, and Prentiss Foster representing the City of St. Cloud), Stephen Saupe (CSB/SJU Biologist) and Fred Bengtson (MN DNR) serving as scientific consultants and the developer, Ed Schnettler.

The EDT team made several recommendations concerning the plat including including: (a) establishing buffer areas that would be kept natural; (b) narrowing the street width; (c) eliminating easements along side and rear property lines; (d) eliminating sidewalks; and (e) including a buffer zone along along the south side of the property. As a result of this review the significance of this property as a high quality natural area within the city was recognized as was the desire to preserve the entire 20 acre parcel. Mr. Schnettler agreed that he would be willing to sell his interest in the 10 acre piece for his purchase price plus the expenses he had accrued until that point. This was approved by the City Council.

A committee of local citizens was established to "Save the Big Woods.� This group, which included Steve Holmquist and Joe DesJardins, raised $180,000 to purchase the property for a natural area. The City formally bought the property in (date, year) and it was formally dedicated in a ceremony held on the Oak Hill School grounds in May 1999.

Botany:
The site is classified as an oak woods with mature trees, mostly maple and red oaks that make up about 80% of the canopy. The area is dry to dry-mesic soil and relatively sandy. It is one of the best examples of oak woods remaining in the city according to the St. Cloud Natural Areas Inventory compiled by Short, Elliot and Hendrickson (1996). According to this work, the site was listed as high priority meaning that there is little disturbed by human activity, is relatively uncommon statewide and rare or unique locally. It is considered a natural Heritage Area - given to land recognized by the MN County Biological survey as having statewide significance and of unusually high quality.

Let's take an imaginary walk through this site. As you approach the property from the west, from the restored prairie at Oak Hill School, the elevation increases slightly and you will encounter lots of smooth sumac, prickly ash and hazel. Scattered beneath these shrubs are an occasional prairie remnant such as puccoon and my favorite, porcupine grass, with its long-awned, self-planting seeds. You soon reach a small ridge that is the highest elevation in the area, about 1125 feet above sea level. Red oaks are common. Continuing east, the elevation declines slightly, about 100 feet total, and you observe a variety of other trees include red maple, birch, some basswood, and black cherry.

I don't know the vegetational history of this area, but my speculation is that prior to European settlement, it was wooded, and the western section may have been savanna, a prairie with scattered, fire-tolerant oak trees. I suspect that the eastern section never burned because the rougher terrain is slightly more protected from fire, the soils are slightly moister, and lastly, we find more fire-intolerant species like red maple.

The forest floor features plants like hog-peanut, Virginia creeper, honewort, wild geranium, and sweet cicely. I have walked and botanized in this area for several years and in June 1998 was rewarded to find a large population of showy orchis in the SW corner of the property. This is a gorgeous, though not uncommon, orchid. I haven't seen it at the since since the original discovery. However, the message is that the potential for this site is high; who knows what other treasures lie awaiting our discovery.

This report is intended to serve as the beginning of a checklist of the species that grow in the site without cultivation.

These plants were observed on site visits during the past several years. Most species are recorded by sight only. For a few, herbarium specimens have been deposited in the CSB/SJU Bailey Herbarium.

The following plants, with the exception of Galearis spectabilis, were observed growing during a site visit in October 2000 (Table 1). Undoubtedly more species will be found. This is a beginning and expect future updates.

Acknowledgements

Table 1: Checklist of Plants growing without cultivation in the Big Woods Natural Area, St. Cloud, MN
Family (Technical Name)	Family (Common Name)	Scientific Name	Common Name	Reference¹
Aceraceae	Maple family	Acer rubrum	Red maple
Aceraceae	Maple family	Acer saccharum	Sugar maple
Aceraceae	Maple family	Acer negundo	Box elder
Anacardiaceae	Cashew Family	Rhus radicans	Poison ivy
Anacardiaceae	Cashew Family	Rhus glabra	Smooth sumac
Apiaceae	Carrot Family	Osmorhiza claytonii	Sweet Cicely
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Achillea millefolium	Yarrow
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Ambrosia artemisiifolia	Common ragweed
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Anaphalis margaritacea	Pearly everlasting
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Arctium minus	Burdock
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Artemisia ludoviciana	Prairie sage
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Aster sp.
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Cirsium arvense	Canada thistle
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Eupatorium perfoliatum	snakeroot
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Taraxacum officinale	Dandelion
Asteraceae (Compositae)	Sunflower Family	Solidago sp	Goldenrod
Betulaceae	Birch Family	Betula papyrifera	White or paper birch
Betulaceae	Birch Family	Corylus americana	American hazelnut
Betulaceae	Birch Family	Ostrya virginiana	Ironwood, Hop hornbeam
Boraginaceae	Borage Family	Hackelia sp
Boraginaceae	Borage Family	Lithospermum canescens	Puccoon
Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)	Mustard Family	Berteroa incana	Hoary alyssum
Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)	Mustard Family	Lepidium campestre	Peppergrass
Caprifoliaceae	Mustard Family	Lonicera sp	Honeysuckle
Caprifoliaceae	Mustard Family	Sambucus pubens	Red elder
Caprifoliaceae	Mustard Family	Viburnum rafinesquianum	Downy arrow-wood
Caryophyllaceae	Pink Family	Silene antirhinnum	Sleepy Catchfly
Celastraceae	Staff-Tree Family	Celastrus scandens	Bittersweet
Cistaceae	Rock Rose family	Lechea sp.
Cupressaceae	Cypress Family	Juniperus virginiana	Eastern red cedar
Equisetaceae	Horsetail family	Equisetum sp	Horsetail, Scouring rush
Fabaceae	Bean or Pulse Family	Amphicarpaea bracteata	Hog-peanut
Fabaceae	Bean or Pulse Family	Desmodium sp	Tick trefoil
Fabaceae	Bean or Pulse Family	Lespedeza capitata	Bush clover
Fabaceae	Bean or Pulse Family	Melilotus alba	White sweet clover
Fabaceae	Bean or Pulse Family	Melilotus officinalis	Yellow sweet clover
Fagaceae	Beech Family	Quercus alba	White oak
Fagaceae	Beech Family	Quercus macrocarpa	Bur oak
Fagaceae	Beech Family	Quercus rubra (= Q. borealis)	Northern red oak
Fagaceae	Beech Family	Quercus ellipsoidalis	Northern pin oak
Grossulariaceae	Gooseberry Family	Ribes sp.	Currants and gooseberries
Lamiaceae (Labiatae)	Mint Family	Hedeoma hispida	Rough pennyroyal
Lamiaceae (Labiatae)	Mint Family	Leonurus cardiaca	Motherwort
Lamiaceae (Labiatae)	Mint Family	Nepeta cataria	Catnip
Liliaceae	Lily Family	Maianthemum canadense	Wild lily of the valley, Canada mayflower
Oleaceae	Olive family	Fraxinus pensylvanica	Green ash
Onagraceae	Evening Primrose family	Circeae lutetiana	Common enchanter�s nightshade
Orchidaceae	Orchid family	Galearis spectabilis	Showy orchis	Saupe, June 1998
Oxalidaceae	Sorrel Family	Oxalis sp	Wood sorrel
Pinaceae	Pine family	Abies fraseri	Frasier fir
Pinaceae	Pine family	Pinus ponderosa	Ponderosa pine
Pinaceae	Pine family	Pinus strobus	White pine
Poaceae	Grass Family	Bromus inermis	Smooth brome
Poaceae	Grass Family	Panicum sp	Switch grass
Poaceae	Grass Family	Poa pratensis	Kentucky bluegrass
Poaceae	Grass Family	Schizachyrium scoparium	Little bluestem
Poaceae	Grass Family	Setaria sp	Foxtail
Poaceae	Grass Family	Stipa viridule	Needle grass
Plantaginaceae	Plantain Family	Plantago patagonica
Ranunculaceae	Buttercup or Crowfoot Family	Anemone cylindrica	Thimbleweed
Rhamnaceae	Buckthorn Family	Rhamnus cathartica	Buckthorn
Rosaceae	Rose Family	Fragaria sp	Wild strawberry
Rosaceae	Rose Family	Geum sp
Rosaceae	Rose Family	Rubus sp	Blackberry, raspberry
Rosaceae	Rose Family	Rosa sp	Rose
Rosaceae	Rose Family	Prunus virginiana.	Chokecherry
Rubiaceae	Coffee Family	Galium sp	Bedstraw

Rutaceae	Rue Family	Zanthoxylum americanum	Prickly ash
Salicaceae	Willow Family	Populus tremuloides	Quaking aspen
Salicaceae	Willow Family	Populus balsamifera	Balsam popular
Saxifragaceae	Saxifrage Family	Heuchera richardsonii	Alumroot
Scrophulariaceae	Figwort Family	Linaria vulgaris	Butter �n eggs
Scrophulariaceae	Figwort Family	Scrophularia lanceolata	Figwort
Scrophulariaceae	Figwort Family	Verbascum thapsus	Mullein
Smilaceae	Smilax family	Smilax herbacea	Green briar
Ulmaceae	Elm Family	Celtis occidentalis	Hackberry
Ulmaceae	Elm Family	Ulmus americana	American elm
Ulmaceae	Elm Family	Ulmus pumila	Chinese elm
Urticaceae	Nettle Family	Urtica dioica	Stinging Nettle
Vitaceae	Grape Family	Vitis riparia	River grape

¹Unless otherwise indicated, specimens observed and identified in the initial study on October 16, 2000