An exciting discovery was made on May, 5. Maybe… A rare plant that has previously not been recorded growing in Illinois was found in Jo Daviess County. Discoveries like this do not happen often, if ever. Like a good mystery novel there are unanswered questions and twists in this story. The plant was located within the city limits of Galena, IL. Not in a pristine natural setting that one would expect to find a plant of this caliber and at one time this plant was sold commercially. What do you think?
I was working late when I received an email from Prairie Works crowd pleaser, Richard Pearce.
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Hi Cory,
I’m in trouble now….I’ve found a plant that I think is Arabis alpina. However, it has not been reported in Ill. and in neighboring states it is extremely rare, found only in one to a few counties. It’s on a limestone outcropping in Galena on private property. If you think it’s A. alpina, then we can ask others to confirm. I don’t want to get too excited too early.
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Of course I was excited and made it to the site the next day. I was able to confirm it’s taxonomy. But there was still some speculation in our minds to it’s location being “in town,” and the plants history of being “cultivated for ornamental uses”. However, the plant is exactly where it would grow naturally. It was on a rock in an unglaciated area of the country and in a shady cool location. It was even on the North side of the rock. Who would have altered this massive boulder anyway. Miners didn’t do that sort of thing and neither did the homeowner.
So the research was on. Fellow botanist confirmed our speculations and a call was made to the states botanists. However, they were skepticle (why wouldnt they) and are currently overworked. Our research found that this species of plant could be purchased as an ornamental during the early 20th century. It was used in rock gardens and was imported from Italy, where it was a common alpine plant. The present homeowner had lived there since 1975 and has great knowledge of his surroundings. He assured us that he certainly did not plant it.
We found the former owner of the house living in California and wrote him. He lived in the house from 1955 until 1975. He replied to our letter in early June, stating, ” I’m sorry, I do not remember the plant, but I know I did not plant it.” He went on to talk a little more about the rock that harbors the plant but nothing helped solve our mystery.
We found a gardening magazine that talked of A. alpinaas a nice addition to a garden, easy to grow….that was published in Chicago in 1910. Arabis Alpina has the common names of: Rock Cress, Snowcap, and Snow on the Mountain. Without DNA evidence we cannot confirm if this plant is of natural or cultivated variety. Until that can happen this plant will remain ’the mystery plant.’
Is this Arabis alpina the relic from the ice age with profound importance? or is this Arabis alpina with the common name of Snowcap, planted before 1955 on a rock?
Pictures of the plant:
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