Part 2 – The Remarkable Ketona Dolomite Glades, Bibb County, Alabama — 2020-05-31

Be warned: This is a rather lengthy post. Go grab an adult beverage and settle in for the ride…

In Part 1, we got to see my 3 target species for this trip. In Part 2, we will cover 22 of the many other species that were present — some fairly common, and some quite rare and even endemic to the area. The Ketona Dolomite Glade complex in central Alabama is just that — complex. It contains 8 or more endemic (found nowhere else in the world) species new to science, at least 7 state records, many disjunct (small pockets of plants growing many hundreds of miles away from others of their kind) species, and more than 60 plant taxa of conservation concern, marking it as one of the most significant reservoirs of botanical diversity in the eastern United States. Of course, not all of the wildflower species would be in bloom on the date of our visit, but we did get to see enough to be impressed.

Many of the species found in the Ketona Dolomite Glades and nearby hillside areas near the Cahaba River are not showy. Some might appear as common roadside weeds, but there are some very colorful and extraordinary wildflower species. One of these is Phlox pulchra or Alabama Phlox. It is an Alabama endemic, found growing wild in only 6 or 7 sites in the state. Because it produces such showy flowers, it has been made available from several native plant nurseries in the Southeast. On our way to the glades, Noah took us on a side trip to see this and another special plant.

Alabama Phlox

Another of the really showy species that was in full bloom, is the majestic Hydrangea quercifolia or Oakleaf Hydrangea. Like me, you may have seen this in your local nursery or in a friend’s garden, but you weren’t aware that it is native to the Southeast. In fact, it is Alabama’s state wildflower. The up to 10-inch (12.5 cm) panicle of flowers appear on the terminus of long, arching stems. In the image below, the true flowers are the rather mundane clusters at the apex. The other, showy, petal-like affairs are sepals, or modified leaves which make up most of the bloom and overshadow the small, almost unnoticeable fertile floral portions at the center:

Notice the oak leaf shape of the leaves in the image below:

The Oakleaf Hydrangea plants we saw were actually large shrubs. They were several meters high and spectacular to view, growing on the hillsides near the Cahaba River. It’s no wonder that they have become a favorite of gardeners in the Southeast.

After entering the Glades, one of the first wildflowers we spotted was Hypericum frondosum or Cedarglade St. Johnswort:

Mind you, I have seen many species of St. Johnswort, but this one is a knock-out! I could hardly believe my eyes how large the flower was. It stretched almost 1.5 inches (3.75 cm) across. Most of the St. Johnswort species I’ve photographed have been miniscule compared to this one. Here is a shot of another one:

As you can see by the buds on the plant, they were just coming into bloom.

Nearby, was a good specimen of Penstemon tenuiflorus or Eastern Whiteflower Penstemon. It is not as floriferous as some of our other native Penstemon species, but never-the-less, it was quite attractive. It is restricted to 4 or 5 states in the central Southeast:

As we proceed through the glade, being especially careful to check the edges of the glade near the woods, we spot a tell-tale sign of a tiny blue flower. It is the rather common, Sisyrinchium atlanticum or Eastern Blue-eyed Grass. It is a member of the Iris family and although rather small, it is a welcome sight:

However, scattered over the entire glade there were many hundreds of a rare variant of a rather common southeastern species of Marshallia. This one is Marshallia mohrii or Mohr’s Barbara’s Buttons. It has been listed as a Threatened Species under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 and is currently found only in the southern Appalachians in north central Alabama and northwestern Georgia:

Also scattered all over the glade in small groups were numbers of Ruellia strepens or Limestone Wild Petunia. There are a number of Ruellia species in the Southeast, but I had not seen one with flowers quite as large as these — almost 2 inches (5 cm) across:

Both of my field trip companions, Alan Cressler and Noah Yawn, were interested in locating the very narrow endemic, Scutellaria alabamensis or Alabama Skullcap. It is found only in about 6 counties in north central Alabama and is of conservation concern. We did manage to locate a few small populations in the glades. Here are a couple of examples:

Although not what most would consider a “wildflower”, Psora pseudorussellii or False Russell’s Fishscale Lichen, could be seen on almost all of the dolomite outcrops in the glade. Alan had mentioned its presence earlier, and he pointed it out to me when we first entered the glade. He is particularly good about that and would make a great botany professor, making sure all of his students do not miss a single thing out in the field. I’m sure he would disagree, but that’s my opinion, and I’m sticking to it! LOL!

This lichen is “false” because it’s similar to and closely related to Psora russellii, known as Russell’s Fishscale Lichen, and because that lichen’s binomial honors Russell — that’s the “true” one:

Farther into the glade, in some of the drier portions, we began to see Polygala grandiflora or Showy Milkwort. I had photographed this species in the coastal plain of South Carolina a few years ago, but I was not prepared to see so many of them in one place. The flowers are about 1/2 inch (12 mm) across:

Speaking of Milkworts, there was another Milkwort species, Polygala boykinii or Boykin’s Milkwort present in the glades. This is another species I had photographed in the panhandle of Florida a couple of years ago. It was almost ubiquitous in the glades:

There was a small shrub that I had not seen before scattered in parts of the glade. It turns out to be Phyllanthopsis phyllanthoides or Missouri Maidenbush. This is one of the disjunct species I was referring to earlier. Its closest neighbors are Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma — several hundred miles away:

During the heat of the day, I took a break and wandered into the woods. Here, I found a rather common southeastern species, Mimosa microphylla or Littleleaf Sensitive Briar. I knew it as Schrankia microphylla in a past life, but that’s what happens when you’re not paying attention — the plant names change… Anyway, it is a wonderful little flowering plant with lots of curved thorns. The flowers have a delightfully spicy fragrance, and the bees just love it:

Break’s over! Back out into the bright and sunny open glade again, and we come across another very narrow endemic to the Ketona Dolomite Glades — Liatris oligocephala or Cahaba Torch. It’s not the showiest of the 6 Liatris species in the glades, but it certainly is rare.

In traversing the glade, I kept spotting little specks of blue, so I decided to check them out. They were what I believe is Delphinium carolinianum ssp. carolinianum or Carolina Larkspur. The sky-blue color was accented by a bit of cyan, making it a gorgeous little wildflower:

Most of the plants I found were just getting started in their bloom cycle, and their flowers were sparsely arranged on the stem, but we did find a single plant which was densely packed with flowers:

Near the woods again, we found a good specimen of Gonolobus suberosus or Anglepod. It’s closely related to the Milkweeds, and will have a seed capsule that is very similar to those of the Milkweeds, but it has very angular creases and protrusions — thus the common name, Anglepod:

Another species that is widespread over the full Eastern half of the U.S. is Eryngium yuccifolium or Rattlesnake master. The flower scape almost appears to be either buds or fruit, but at close inspection, it is evident that these are tiny little grayish-green flowers:

I fully intended to photograph the entire plant, but, alas, I failed to do so. I wanted to show the yucca-like foliage that is part of the botanical name. Instead, perhaps you can barely make out some of the foliage in the lower right background of the following image:

Another endemic that is ubiquitous in the glades is Erigeron strigosus var. dolomiticola or Cahaba Daisy Fleabane. It is however a rare endemic, found only in the Ketona Dolomite Glades:

Another break in the shade of the woods, and I spot the bright orangey-red flowers of the frequently seen, Asclepias tuberosa or Butterfly Milkweed. As one might expect from reading the common name, it is a favorite of many butterfly species:

Also near the edge of the woods, we find Commelina erecta or Whitemouth Dayflower. This is not the noxious and invasive species from Asia which some of us find springing up in our gardens, but it is actually a native of the U.S. An interesting note about this plant: It is member of the Spiderwort (Commelinaceae) family. Whitemouth Dayflower is said to be named for the three Commelin brothers who were all Dutch botanists, although only two were productive in their field. Whitemouth Dayflower’s two larger petals are said to represent the two Commelins who were published, while the third, inconspicuous petal represents the unpublished brother:

Well, the day was beginning to wind down for me, and I had a 5-hour drive ahead of me to get home. There was one other species which I needed to photograph. It is another very narrow endemic to the Ketona Dolomite Glades — Castilleja kraliana or Cahaba Indian Paintbrush. I had seen a couple of rather scraggly ones, but I managed to happen upon a cluster of nicely flowers plants. Lucky me! Here is that group plus a couple of others:

The bright yellow portions of the plant are not flowers, but they are leafy bracts. The tubular flowers are contained within this sheath of bracts.

It was time to head back home. On our way out, Noah spotted a white flower, gleaming in the bright sunshine. It was a specimen of Callirhoe alcaeoides or Pale Poppy Mallow. It would be the last flower I would photograph on this trip. While I was lined up to photograph this beauty, I was able to reflect on the wonderous and abundant supply of rare wildflowers I had just witnessed. Thanks to forward-thinking naturalists like Kathy Stiles Freeland, for whom the Kathy Stiles Freeland Bibb County Glades Preserve is named, and others who have walked in her footsteps, we have this special and unique place set aside for posterity. Too many sites similar to this are being destroyed for developmental and agricultural ends. There is a large number of meadows and fields in southern Alabama which used to host acres and acres of rare pitcher plants and other native wildflowers which no longer exist as they were. Your support of local wildflower and conservation organizations is imperative for future generations to be able to see and study the natural world as we know it. But I digress…

I will leave you with an image of that Pale Poppy Mallow:

Until next time…

–Jim