FIELD TRIPS OF THE CLUB 



Trip of Sunday, October 6, to the North 

 Edge of the Pine Barrens 



With a cold fall rain making the day bleak, only four of the 

 hardiest field hikers appeared at the Tinton Falls Inn for the 

 pine barren trip. The Tinton Falls immediately back of the mill 

 wash over an iron stone cliff about twelve feet high and on this 

 exposed escarpment on the south side we found the Ebony 

 Spleen wort and Woodsia obtusa, growing most luxuriantly. 

 Immediately below were Boltonia and a species of Coreopsis 

 both flowering freely despite hard frost the previous night which 

 had killed jewel weed, bracken and most of the tenderer plants. 



We proceeded down Pine Brook to a typical wooded area in 

 the middle zone of New Jersey where other species of aster, 

 goldenrod, large patches of closed gentian, feathery stalks of 

 Selaginella and the last lingering blooms of Coreopsis mariana 

 made bright patches of color. Here again the ferns were the prin- 

 cipal attractions since both Mr. Fessenden and Mr. Jehlyn are 

 fern fans. The Marsh fern, New York fern, Cinnamon fern and 

 Crested Shield fern all abounded on the edge of the marsh. Both 

 the Crested Shield fern and Woodsia obtusa being surprises for 

 an area so near the pine barren conditions. 



Along the foot of the wooded bluffs in better drained ground 

 were all of the Intermediate forms of Botrichium ranging from 

 the blunt leaved coarse type to the finely dissected form which 

 is known as the species dissectum. A few of the plants were so 

 vigorous as to carry two fruiting fronds instead of one. Fruits 

 of both the jack-in-the-pulpit and the skunkcabbage wereabun- 

 dant. Trailing arbutus, holly and the mountain laurel all were 

 particularly vigorous and healthy in the red sandy soil of the 

 lower slopes. The forest growth was principally of red, black 

 and chesnut oak, hemlocks and white pine with occasional 

 white oaks, red maples and gum trees. 



The evergreen shield fern, christmas fern and hayscented 

 fern clothe the upper slopes in dense woodlands. The growth in 

 this area in all respects is typical of that of the middle and 

 northern part of New Jersey, the only species common in the 

 Pine Barrens being in the open fields where Andropogon, Les- 

 pedeza capitata and sweet fern made low brush thickets. 



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