OAK BRUSH PLAINS PRESERVE
Edgewood, Nassau County, Long Island, NY
600 acres

Directions:

Rt. 495 (L.I.E.) To exit 52 south on Rt. 4 (Commack Rd.) 1 mile south of the L.I.E. Access by free permit only.

Trails:

Trails available for hiking and biking through oak brush habitat.

a smaller area known as the Bishop tract, as it was once owned by the Catholic Church, is now Suffolk County Parkland.

HEMPSTEAD PLAINS

Nassau County, NY

PLANT LIST:

Achillea millefolium (yarrow)
Agalinis acuta
Agrostis hyemalis (tickle grass)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Aira caryophyllea (hair grass)
Albizia julibrissin (silk tree)
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Amaranthus retroflexus (amaranth)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Andropogon virginicus (broom grass)
Andropogon gerardi (giant bluestem grass)
Antennaria plantaginifolia (plantain-leaved pussytoes)
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp dogbane)
Arabidopsis thaliana
Aristida dichotoma
Aristida oligantha
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)
Aster dumosus
Aster pilosus
Baptisia tinctoria
Barbarea vulgaris (common wintercress)
Bromus japonicus (Japanese brome grass)
Bulbostylis capillaris
Calystegia sepia (hedge bindweed)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Centaurea nigra (black knapweed)
Cerastium vulgatum ( )
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy)
Cichorium intybus (chicory)
Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle)
Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle)
Conyza canadensis (horseweed)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Crataegus monogyna (hawthorn)
Cuscuta pentagona (dodder)
Cyperus fuiiculmis (cyperus)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Danthonia spicata
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink)
Digitaria ischaemum (crab grass)
Digitaria sanguinalis (crab grass)
Diodia terres (buttonweed)
Draba verna (whitlow-grass mustard)
Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple love grass)
Erechtites hieracifolia (pileweed)
Erigeron strigosus (lesser daisy fleabane)
Eupatorium hyssopifolium (hyssop-leaved joe-pye-weed)
Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge)
Euphorbia maculata (spotted spurge)
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod)
Euthamia tenuifolia (narrow-leaved goldenrod)
Festuca elatior
Festuca ovina var. ovina (sheep fescue grass)
Festuca rubra (red fescue grass)
Fraxinus americana
Froelichia gracilis
Gleditsia triacanthos
Gnaphalium obtusifolium
Helenium flexuosum
Hieracium floribundum
Hieracium pilosella
Hypericum gentianoides
Hypericum perforatum
Hypochaeris radicata (cat's ear)
Hypoxis hirsuta (yellow star grass)
Hyssopus officinalis
Juncus greenei (rush)
Juncus secundus (rush)
Juncus tenuis (path rush)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Krigia virginica (cynthia)
Lactuca serriola (lettuce)
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper)
Lespedeza capitata
Lespedeza cuneata (Chinese bush clover)
Lespedeza intermedia
Linaria canadensis
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)
Lonicera fragrantissima (fragrant honeysuckle)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Lyonia mariana
Lysimachia quadrifolia (whorled loosestrife)
Melilotus alba (white sweet clover)
Mollugo verticillata (carpetweed)
Myrica asplenifolia (bayberry)
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)
Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel)
Panicum auberne (panic grass)
Panicum capillare (panic grass)
Panicum commonsianum var addisonii (panic grass)
Panicum depauperatum (panic grass)
Panicum dichotomiflorum (panic grass)
Panicum lanuginosum var fasciculatum (panic grass)
Panicum lanuginosum var lindheimeri (panic grass)
Panicum sphaerocarpon (panic grass)
Panicum virgatum (panic grass)
Paspalum setaceum
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Plantago aristata (bracted plantain)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Plantago rugelii (plantain)
Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass)
Polygala nuttallii
Polygala polygama
Polygonum aviculare (dooryard knotweed)
Polygonum caespitosum (cespitose smartweed)
Polygonum scandens (climbing false buckwheat)
Portulaca oleracea
Potentilla argentea
Potentilla canadensis
Potentilla recta
Potentilla simplex
Prunus serotina
Pycnanthemum flexuosum
Pyrus coronaria
Pyrus sieboldii
Quercus coccinea
Raphanus raphanistrum
Rhamnus frangula
Rhus copallina
Rosa multiflora
Rosa virginiana
Rubus allegheniensis
Rubus flagellaris
Rubus hispidus
Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black eyed susan)
Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel)
Sambucus canadensis
Schizachyrium scoparius
Scleranthus annuus (knawel)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria geniculata
Silene alba (white campion)
Sisyrinchium albidum (blue-eyed grass)
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)
Solidago canadensis var. scabra
Solidago juncea (early goldenrod)
Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod)
Solidago rugosa
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian nut grass)
Spergula arvensis
Spergularia rubra
Strophostyles helvula
Taraxacum officinale
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Tragopogon dubius
Trichostema dichotomum (blue curls)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)
Trifolium arvense
Trifolium pratense
Triplasis purpurea
Vaccinium corymbosum var. atrococcum (black highbush blueberry)
Verbascum blattaria (moth mullein)
Verbascum thapsus
Verbena hastata
Veronica officinalis
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum)
Viola fimbriatula
Viola lanceolata
Viola pedata
Viola sororia (common blue violet)

July 27, 1896 Fanny Mulford found Platanthera lacera (ragged fringed orchid)
Planthera ciliaris (yelow fringed orchid).

William Ferguson wrote in 1925 that Planthera ciliaris (yellow fringed orchid) had been widespread throughout the Hempstead Plains.

Sponsor: Torrey Botanical Club
Date: July 4, 1987
Leader: Richard Stalter

Six individuals met at the entrance of the Marriott Hotel on a hot, sultry morning to examine the vegetation on several small parcels of land that support remnants of Hempstead Plains flora. At one time, Hempstead Plains encompassed approximately 60,000 acres; today the Plains vegetation is probably best represented in an 8 ha tract at Mitchell Field. Some of the many species we examined included:
Asclepias syriaca
Asclepias tuberosa
Aster pilosus
Centaurea nigra
Cichorium intybus
Eupatorium hyssopifolium
Hieracium floribundum
Hieracium pilosella
Rudbeckia hirta
Scleranthus annuus
Elaeagnus angustifolia
Euphorbia cyparissias
Baptisia tinctoria
Lespedeza capitata
L. cuneata
L. intermedia
Plantago aristata
P. lanceolata
P. major
P. rugelii
Polygala nuttallii
Rhamnus frangula
and many additional species.

The most notable species that we observed was the state endangered Agalinis acuta. Agalinis acuta was only a few centimeters tall at this time of the year. We also observed the diminutive Viola fimbriatula and V. lanceolata. Andropogon scoparius and A. virginicus are the two most common grasses. This site is slowly being invaded by shrubs, e.g., Elaeagnus angustifolia, and trees: Prunus serotina, Ailanthus altissima and Juniperus virginiana. Old field succession is apparently proceeding very slowly at Hempstead Plains.

Attendance was 6.

HEMPSTEAD PLAINS
Long Island, NY
July 21, 1988

Twenty enthusiastic botanists turned out on a bright cool morning to examine the vegetation of Hempstead Plains. Hempstead Plains, once encompassing 60,000 acres, has now been reduced to small (less than 20-acres parcels) in the vicinity of Mitchell Field. The group examined two slightly disturbed parcels located south of the 20-acre tract examined by Stalter and Lamont in 1986. A greater number of trees, e.g.,

Crataegus spp. (Hawthorn)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Pinus thunbergii (Japanese black pine)
Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus coronaria (crab apple)
exist on more disturbed sites than on the 20-acre tract we visited later on in the morning.

We observed
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
Erigeron strigosus (fleabane)
Melilotus alba (white sweet clover)
Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover)
Sambucus canadensis (elderberry)
Sisyrinchium albidum (blue-eyed grass)
Our most notable find was the showy goats-rue -- Tephrosia virginiana, one of the important components of the Plains flora in 1918 when described by Harper.
After spending an hour and a half observing plants in the aforementioned areas, we walked to the best preserved tract of plains vegetation, the 20-acre tract mentioned above, stopping occasionally to examine a multiplicity of plants in varying states of development. Grasses, especially Andropogon scoparius and A. virginicus and forbs comprise over 95% of the cover of this 20-acre tract. We observed
Panicum virgatum (switch panic grass)
Sorghastrum nutans bunches of Indian grass
Other prominent plants includes Hypericum perforatum (St. Johnswort)
Hieracium spp. (Hawkweeds)
Solidago graminifolia (narrow leaved goldenrod)
Baptisia tinctoria (wild indigo)

The 20 acre parcel will now be protected and managed by the Nature Conservancy. Perhaps the TNC may remove woody trees and shrubs to preserve the herbaceous and graminoid appearance of the plains.
Attendance 20. Leader Richard Stalter.

Thomas Tock and Company found Eschscholzia californica (California poppy)

The pine barrens here is dominated by pitch pine

Pinus rigida (pitch pine)
Quercus ilicifolia (scrub oak)

Vince Puglisi reported that removal of mugwort has resulted in a banner year for Agalinis acuta on the property managed by Friends of Hempstead Plains.   (LIBS Newsletter, Winter 2004, Vol. 14, No. 1. )