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Re: Native, non-native and nearly native
There are many degrees of 'nativeness' - pick your favorite scale. I
usually stick to what occurs naturally within the surrounding counties
for what I think of as truly native, but I'd consider planting anything
from the southeastern U.S. in a 'native' garden.
Some great bird-attracting trees like Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) and
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) are native to the immediate
coast of N.C., but not in the Triangle area. They'd be termed exotic
invasives here if they were from another continent, but since they're
almost native, we tend not to mind them so much. They're actually more
common in the Triangle than in the Coastal Plain, thanks to hungry birds
planting the seeds everywhere.
Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) actually is a true native -- it occurs
naturally throughout the Carolinas, including the Triangle area, so I
wouldn't hesitate to plant it. The Chinese native Miscanthus sinensis
(Maidengrass), on the other hand, which is still easy to find for sale,
is an extremely invasive weed, gobbling up large areas in the NC
mountains.
You can find more information about all native and naturalized plants in
the U.S., including county-by-county range maps for NC and certain other
states at the USDA PLANTS database: http://plants.usda.gov/ The page for
Switchgrass is
http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/plant_profile.cgi?symbol=PAVI2
> We have at various points had threads on carolinabirds about the
> desirability of planting native species to help out our native birds. The
> arguments in favor of native plantings have made enough sense to me that
> in relandscaping my yard to get rid of lawn I have generally leaned
> towards native plants; however, the definition or parameters of 'native'
> are sometimes a little fuzzy to me. What would be the consensus on a plant
> that is native to temperate estern North America but not to this region? I
> was at the nursery today and was attracted to the Prairie Switchgrass
> (Panicum Virgatum) but upon looking it up in the plant encyclopedia found
> that it is native to the midwestern prairies. Is this close enough to us
> or is it the case that by 'native' we mean only those plants that are
> specific to our immediate vicinity? And any thoughts specifically on
> Switchgrass?
>
> Shantanu Phukan
>
--
Charles W. "Will" Cook w 919-660-7423
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook cwcook@duke.edu
Biology Dept., Duke Univ., Box 90340, Durham, NC 27708