Page 7

H/7/1987-1-

July 7, 1987, Lea House

The fourth meeting of the season was held at Lea House, home
of Ari and Nancy Preuss. Lea House occupies a lovely spot
on the groomed and genteel grounds of Sandy Spring Friends
School where Nancy and Ari have been principal pillars for a
number of years. The yard and garden had a neatness & order
that indicated creativity and productiveness. We were
assured that no student slave labor was used in the Preuss's
horticultural endeavors.

A very good turnout of the society was on hand in addition
to guests Edwin and Dorothy Hinshaw, Tobias Ruddle and Diane
Sullivan.

The minutes from the previous meeting were read and there
was no unfinished business.

Flora Goff read an article entitled "Nature's Toughest
Plants". If the article dealt with human equivalents, it
might be entitled "Thugs, Hell's Angels, and Consummate
Tough Guys that You'd Never Want to Compete Against." The
article listed a veritable rogues gallery of plants that
survive under the most inhospitable and competitive
circumstances. There were descriptions of arctic lichens
that are able to squeeze life from a cold, minimally daylit
environment so that they can live for thousands of years.
Desert plants living under forbiddingly hot and dry
conditions were described being able to survive by
capitalizing on one or two rainfalls a year by incredibly
efficient root systems. They otherwise protect themselves
by vicious spines or protective colorations.

Carnivorous plants such as pitcher plants, butterworts,
sundews, and venus flytraps catch their prey as if with
tiger pits, flypaper, or beartraps.

A host of plants were listed that manage to survive and
thrive in the southern American forests that are plagued
yearly by brush fires. Fireplant communities sputter along
at a low level until a time that their growth becomes
rampart and the plants shoot up to a eighth safely above the
fire zone. Jack Pine cones stay on the tree for up to 25
years until fire triggers the release of seeds perhaps to
coincide with less competitive conditions on the ravaged
ground below.

Our North American Black Walnut eliminates competition from
its vicinity by exuding toxic juglone from its roots, fallen
branches, and nut hulls.

The article described the tropical forest as being crowded
and extremely adversarial. Plants survive by muscle and
wit. The mistletoe is one of the parasitic plants that live