#cryptotaenia

Criptotaenia japonica

There’s a forested spot on the local college campus near where I live, where I saw a massive expanse of two native plants, Ageratina altissima and Eurybia divaricata, growing in a semi-wild setting. I looked at the habitat and asked: what plants are locally native, would grow well here, but that aren’t currently found here, and that I can easily get seeds of from a local source? I settled on Cryptotaenia canadensis and Sanicula canadensis. The spot seemed actually a little wetter than ideal for the two species already growing there, and I think these new species might even grow a little better in the long-run.

The idea was to increase the biodiversity in the area, supporting more total biomass and also greater insect biodiversity. I also wanted to add plants that would look attractive and be relatively similar in height and appearance to the plants already growing there. I don’t want the plants to attract attention and be killed by the grounds crew; the university here has a management-intensive approach to landscaping, often killing plants with herbicides, and there are few opportunities to establish sustaining populations of native plants like this. I was very careful to put the seeds somewhere where I saw plants already growing wild, and to be selective about putting plants that I think would not be perceived as weedy.

I distributed a bunch of seeds to the area last year, and returned today to find six Cryptotaenia canadensis plants sprouting, all looking healthy. These perennial plants usually take two or occasionally more years to reach full size, often not flowering in their first year, after which point they produce a large amount of seeds and usually get established more permanently.

Sanicula canadensis is a little less predictable; it’s a biennial and I’ve found it is a little less reliable at germination, but I’m hoping it’ll catch on too. I didn’t find any seedlings yet but I’ll check back later.