The Original Mystery Plant
Dr. John Nelson

Photo by John Cely

Whether you are a visitor or a long-time resident, our ancient Appalachians can't be beat for natural history. Here's a native mountaineer that is definitely worth a thought or two.

It's a slender, native tree in the mountains found only at relatively high altitudes. You'll see it in the higher elevations of northern Georgia, western North Carolina, the very easternmost parts of Tennessee, western Virginia and the eastern counties of West Virginia. Farther north, it is fairly widespread throughout New England and into much of Ontario and New Brunswick. The trees are sometimes up to about 30' tall, and they are commonly seen in forest openings, or along roadsides. Interestingly, it's often a shrubbier plant the farther north you go, where it may be found at lower elevations.

Its leaves are prominently divided into numerous sharply toothed leaflets. Small flowers, each with five white petals, are densely clustered as they open in late spring. The flowers are followed by brilliant red fruits, which, anatomically, share many features with that of an apple or pear. The ripe fruit is about a third of an inch long, containing mealy flesh and several seeds. The botanical term for this kind of fruit is pome, which of course sounds a lot like the French word for apple, pomme.

Photo by Linda Lee

These fruits are highly prized as a food source by a great variety of birds and other critters. Plus, the leaves tend to turn yellow or red in the autumn and can put on a terrific display. It makes a beautiful plant in cultivation, but it doesn't take heat very well, so flatlanders like me won't have much success with it.

For an excellent overview of high-elevation sites of the southern Appalachians, consider A Naturalist's Guide to the Southern Blue Ridge Front , by L. L. Gaddy, USC Press, 2000.)

Answer to last week's mystery plant

Frog-seed algae,

Batrachospermum macrosporum

Dr. John Nelson is the curator of the USC Herbarium.

To learn more about the Herbarium, call him at

777-8196. His department also offers free plant identification.

www.herbarium.org