Special Native Plants at Bennett Place

Lewis's Heartleaf, a rare species of ginger, was found growing in an area that the Bennetts are believed to have used as a dump. This makes sense, in that it would likely have been spared the plow and thereby have left the native flora undisturbed.

In the second photo, if you look closely you can see a dwarf sundew (reddish) in the midst of the moss. The presence on this upland piedmont site of sundew and sphagnum moss, both of which would more normally be found in bogs down in the coastal plain, is yet another of Bennett Place's mysteries. One explanation can be found in the kind of soil found here, which has very unusual properties.

This Large Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata) was found growing near Bennett Place on land targeted for development. Ellerbe Creek volunteers rescued it from the bulldozers and brought it to Bennett Place. The two sites share the same soil type, which makes Bennett Place the best refuge for this and other unusual wildflowers in the Ellerbe Creek headwaters.

Update, 4/9/10: The Pogonia, planted along a nature trail by Josh Rose years back, survived its first year or two, but has not been seen during visits in the past two years. It may well have succumbed to drought or trail maintenance activities. Josh's discovery of the plant on similar soil less than a mile from Bennett Place does at least documents that it was part of the historic plant community. Josh also found a ladyslipper orchid growing along a power line even closer to Bennett Place.