HomeMy WebLinkAboutACE200700003 Correspondence 2008-04-29The
intergreen-
WNature Foundation
Route 1 Box 770, Roseland, VA 22967
4/29/08
To whom it may concern:
I have reviewed several sites on the property of Leif and Kristal Rittervold on their
Ragged Mountain Property(parcel 118 -1) south of Charlottesville in Albemarle County
on US rt. 29 near Covesville. The granitoid glade areas on several parts of the property
were found to host plant communities that contain a number of plants of the species
Hexalectris spicata,(crested coral root) a native saprophytic orchid. This species remains
on the Commonwealth's rare plant "watch list "(Virginia Division of Natural Heritage)
and is usually an indicator of a "relic ecosystem ".
Records from both The Virginia Division of Natural Heritage and The Atlas of Vir ip:w
Flora document the statewide occurrence of this species. Most county coded maps
indicate a single site with less than twenty plants. I know of only two sites for the plant in
Albemarle County and this is one of them.
Other species of diverse high quality such as Talinum teretifolium(fame flower) and
Cheilanthes lanosa(hairy lip fern) have been observed some of these sites as well, both
denizens of ancient, undisturbed ecosystems. It is highly likely that there are other rare
species yet to be found on these areas that may be of notable rank. Such sites are indeed
worthy of protection.
f�
Doug Cole'
Field Botanist/E ecutive Director
The Winterp-reeri Nature Foundation
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