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The party of 1925 was the largest yet, comprising Fernald, Karl M. Wiegand, Bayard H. Long, Ludlow Griscom (who had accompanied Kenneth K. Mackenzie during his botanical trips along Newfoundland's southwest coast in 1920 and 1921), and Arthur Stanley Pease, as well as two students, Frank A. Gilbert, Jr., and Neil Hotchkiss. The first stop of the summer was at Flowers Cove, where Fernald had done so well the year before. For four days, in smaller groups, they scoured the barrens as far north as Pines Cove, and as far south as Ice Point and Anchor Point . As well, they travelled about "a mile" into the country behind Savage Cove. Proceeding northeastward by small boat, they stopped at Big Brook, where they made many good discoveries. The next stop was Cook's Harbour, from where the party travelled directly to Burnt Cape not far to the east. Burnt Cape proved to be a "goldmine" for "limestone plants". Here was found what Fernald considered to be a unique new species, the "Burnt Cape Cinquefoil" or Potentilla usticapensis. [The true identity of this form is still unclear, with many botanists now maintaining that it is actually identical to the much more northern Beautiful Potentilla (Potentilla pulchella).] Another fantastic find on Burnt Cape was the tiny Dwarf Hawk's Beard (Askellia (= Crepis) nana), not found previously south of the Torngat Mountains of far northern Labrador! At the base of nearby Ha-Ha Mountain, the party made many additional rare finds. Long and Pease then explored Schooner Island, while Wiegand, Griscom and Hotchkiss went to Cape Norman, and Fernald and Gilbert explored Cooks Point - where they found many more interesting "limestone plants", including an eastern form of Bodin's Milkvetch (Astragalus bodinii) [a species not otherwise known from eastern North America; and, in Newfoundland, found ONLY at this locality (see the status report and the re-assessment report [PDF files])]. Heading back towards Flowers Cove, the party spilt up, some members preferring to walk, thinking it faster than by boat (their boatman having demonstrated an annoying habit of stopping at every cove along the way to visit relatives and catch up on gossip)! Fernald, Wiegand and Long stayed with the boat, and made more collections during a boatman-forced stop at Boat Harbour. A DESIRED stop at Four Mile Cove turned up some more good plants, but rising winds and rough seas forced a unexpected stop at Eddies Cove, where even more plants were collected. In the end, the walkers beat the boaters to Flowers Cove by 20 hours! Further collecting in the Flowers Cove area turned up only a few new things, so it was decided to head south. At St. John Island, Griscom and Pease left the group to return home. The rest of the party turned their eyes to the Highlands of St. John. Fernald and Long explored Doctors Brook, while Wiegand, Gilbert and Hotchkiss headed for the cliffy escarpments on the western flanks of Barr'd Harbour Hill, which proved to include some nice veins of "limestone" that supported a number of "limestone plants". The best find by Wiegand's party was the first known Newfoundland population of Robbins' Milkvetch (Astragalus robbinsii var. minor). Upon returning to St. John Island to catch the coastal boat north again, the party made another great collection, the island being entirely "limestone". Back at Cooks Harbour, Wiegand, Gilbert and Hotchkiss went off to the Raleigh area, and points south; while Fernald and Long returned to Ha-Ha Point and Burnt Cape. Then it was off to Quirpon, and later to Ship Cove, Cape Onion, Anse aux Sauvages and Noddy Bay. Many interesting species were collected, but the rock in these places was not "limestone", and the pickings were relatively poor, so, after a brief collecting stop for even more specimens at Cape Norman and Cooks Harbour, the party head south again to Barr'd Harbour. There they spent three more days exploring Barr'd Harbour Hill, before moving their attention to Doctors Hill just to the south. What caught Fernald's attention was a narrow gash in the cliffs (containing a waterfall) known locally as "John Kane's Ladder". Fernald, Long, and local guide Caleb Chambers made a brief trip to the site, and a number of rare plants were collected, including some interesting "limestone species"; but, their time was short, since they had not brought a tent and blankets, and much had to be left uncollected. After a bit more exploring in the Barr'd Harbour area, while waiting in vain for the winds to drop so that they could re-visit St. John Island, the party set off again for Flowers Cove [example specimen: Braya longii - click photo to enlarge], stopping to collect in the Plum Point area along the way. The return trip home was by way of Blanc Sablon, where the party squeezed in one last bit of botanizing. Another remarkable trip! REFERENCE: Fernald (1926) [Page last updated: November 11, 2021] ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... |
