Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area
| Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area | |
|---|---|
 Map of Pennsylvania
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| Location | Perry County, Pennsylvania |
| Nearest city | New Bloomfield |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Designated | 1967 |
Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area is a 10-acre (4.0 ha) natural area in Perry County, Pennsylvania, near New Bloomfield, which protects a colony of box huckleberry over 1,000 years old.[1][2] The smallest Natural Area in Pennsylvania,[3] it is administered as part of Tuscarora State Forest.[2] It was designated a National Natural Landmark in April 1967.[4]
Topography
A 0.25-mile (0.40 km) path forms a loop around the site, which is located on the west side of a hill slope.[3] Twenty-seven interpretive stations are located along the trail.[1] In addition to the low growth of the box huckleberry itself, the hillside is covered with white pine and oak forest, with a scattering of other trees and various wildflowers.[3]
History
The specimen of box huckleberry at the natural area has been estimated, based on its observed rate of growth and clonal reproduction, to be 1,200[5] to 1,300 years old,[1] only a tenth of the estimated age for a nearby colony at Losh Run.[6] The colony was discovered by Spencer Baird in 1845.[7] No specimens of box huckleberry had been collected since 1805, and Baird's discovery allowed Asa Gray to classify the species as Gaylussacia brachycera.[8] The resulting correspondence sparked a lifelong friendship between the two, and helped Baird attain a post at the Smithsonian Institution.[5]
The box huckleberry remained largely obscure until 1918, when Frederick V. Coville examined the site. On the basis of his observations there, he concluded that box huckleberry was self-sterile and spread clonally. After commercial nurserymen removed a truckload of plants from the site, Coville called attention to its plight with an article in Science.[5] Renewed interest sparked the discovery of other box huckleberry colonies elsewhere in the Appalachians.[9]
The New Bloomfield site was first protected with the donation of 4 acres (1.6 ha) to the state in 1929, the beginning of the Natural Area.[3]
References
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- Natural & Wild Areas of the Tuscarora State Forest, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
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