Conservation happens at varying speeds. Some projects take years, if not decades to navigate and complete and other projects happen in weeks. Members of the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) invest in both slow and fast conservation. Providing the support to build trust over time and work through questions and contemplations as well as supplying the resources to act when an opportunity presents itself.
Back in March 2023 there was a need for fast conservation. NPC was contacted about two parcels adjacent to State Game Lands 134 being sold by auction about 3 weeks later. The parcels layed side by side. One sharing its western boundary with existing State Game Lands and they both shared their northern boundary with existing State Game Lands.
NPC staff and board members and PGC staff tour the Anderson Hill property in March, deciding to bid on it at auction.
A seasonal stream on the property flowed into a tributary of Plunketts Creek, just upstream from where NPC facilitated work in 2020 and 2021 with an Army Reserve Unit to remove the earthen berm. Conserving this forested land would help to improve the water quality of Plunketts Creek, building on work NPC completed in the past. Adding this property to SGL 134 also expands the wildlife corridor, enables better forest management practices, and creates improved access to these public lands.
NPC was the high bidder on the parcels at the April auction, that would come to be known as the ‘Anderson Hill’ property. To help facilitate public use of Anderson Hill during NPC’s ownership, it was enrolled in the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Hunter Access Program.
Fast forward 10 months later, NPC is thrilled to announce that the Pennsylvania Game Commission took over ownership of Anderson Hill, officially incorporating it into SGL 134. All made possible, thanks to the support of NPC’s members!
The Anderson Hill property was officially incorporated into SGL 134 at the close of 2023.
Just a few miles outside of the northern tier town of Wellsboro, PA, sits the 138-acre homestead of Barry and Jane Brucklacher. Originally a dairy farm, the sprawling hayfields are still productive today, harvested by a local farmer to support a mushroom grower in Kennett Square, PA. A woodland of aspen, beech, maple, and oak trees provide food and shelter for white-tailed deer, bears, bobcats, and a variety of other native wildlife. A network of trails meander through the woodland by two ponds and a winding stream on its way to Elk Creek. On the outskirts of the property, a portion of the popular Mid State Trail cuts through, providing hikers with picturesque views of the Tioga County countryside. A trio of donkeys – Jesse James, Tyrone, and Adabel – graze in the pasture. The original barn stores equipment, with the top floor converted to serve as a maternity roost for little brown bats, whose population has experienced a severe decline in the past decade.
Having bought the property in 1972, the Brucklachers enjoy simple strolls around the grounds together and continue to be grateful for the opportunity to own such a special place. With thoughts of the future, they decided to seek out options to conserve the wildlife habitat, biodiversity, farmland, and natural resources on their property for generations to come.
Jane and Barry Brucklacher donate a 29-acre conservation easement to NPC.
Initially, they enrolled 103 acres of their property in the Tioga County Agricultural Farmland Preservation Program. However, they still had hopes to conserve even more of the property. Fortunately, a like-minded neighbor shared her experience with the Brucklachers of conserving her family farm with the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC).
A Conservation Easement Agreement with NPC is a voluntary, legally binding agreement between a landowner and NPC regarding the use of a property. Most often, these agreements allow for forest management, agricultural use, and some residential use; but easements can also be signed to conserve specific values – such as ecological, recreational, scenic, or historic. The landowner keeps ownership of the land while also ensuring that the land’s conservation values are sustainable.
The Brucklachers connected with NPC Land Steward, Sara Schlesinger, to discuss their values and conservation goals. After their initial meeting and walking the land together, it didn’t take Sara long to realize that the Brucklacher’s remaining 29 acres aligned with NPC’s mission to conserve and enhance the lands and waters of Northcentral PA.
“It was clear that the land was well-loved and stewarded. The forested land along the tributary that flows into Elk Creek prevents the streambank from eroding and washing away, helping to keep excess nutrients from flowing into the creek and elsewhere downstream. Conserving the water resources, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity, on the property supports the overall environmental well-being of the community.”
Sara Schlesinger, NPC Land Steward
Conserving this stream on the Brucklacher conservation easement supports the overall environmental well-being of the community.
After a year of more meetings, paperwork, surveys, walk throughs on the land, and all the other in-betweens, NPC wrapped up 2023 with the establishment of the ‘Brucklacher’ conservation easement! Thank you to the Brucklachers for their generosity and commitment, and a special thanks to the NPC membership for their continued support.
A family of bears roam the Brucklacher easement.A fox family found on the Brucklacher easement.
The Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) is a land trust devoted to conserving and enhancing the lands and waters of Northcentral Pennsylvania to support the environmental well-being and recreational needs of local communities. They operate in 12 counties and take on a variety of conservation projects, including working with private landowners to establish conservation easements. Thanks to the generosity of its members and donors, NPC has conserved over 5,400 acres across 52 properties through its conservation easement program. You can help support NPC’s initiatives and make a differenceby donating today.
A true sportsman understands and champions conservation. In fact, hunters have been some of the conservation movement’s biggest advocates since the beginning. After all, it was President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid hunter himself, who went on to create the United States Forest Service and conserved approximately 230 million acres of public land. Roosevelt recognized that in utilizing the country’s natural resources, we also had a responsibility to ensure that those same resources were sustainable for generations to come. He wrote, “We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.”
This past year, the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) had the opportunity to work with a like-minded sportsman committed to doing his part through the conservation of his 64-acre property in Columbia County. The landowner grew up hunting in the Berwick area, and through friendly connections had the opportunity to hunt this particular plot of land on Knob Mountain Road in Briar Creek Township over the years. Sitting at the base of Knob Mountain, this stretch of land acts as a highway for white-tailed deer, turkey, bear, and other wildlife. As the landowner explains it, the neighboring farmland is the “refrigerator”, the mountain to the north is the “bedroom,” and the property serves as the “hallway,” connecting the habitat for the wildlife to roam. So when the property came up for sale in 2004, he jumped at the opportunity to call this piece of woodland his own.
The woodland on the Knob Mountain easement serves as the “hallway,” connecting the habitat for the wildlife to roam.
He quickly set to work stewarding the land and enhancing the wildlife habitat. He worked with a forester to develop and implement a forest management plan, collaborated with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to create wetlands, installed nesting boxes, conducted timber stand improvement activities, built brush piles for wildlife, and planted trees. And while he connected himself more and more to the land, he created opportunities for others to connect as well. Just as those had done for him in past, he invited friends and family to traverse and hunt the land with him. It became a place of respite for a military friend on leave. A learning ground for the grandson of a dear friend. A cultivator for friendships and bonds forged like none other than during hunting season.
Wetlands on the Knob Mountain conservation easement provide food, water, and shelter for a variety of species.
Places with the ability to connect people with the land and with each other are special like that. Knowing that he wanted to conserve the wildlife habitat for generations to enjoy beyond his lifetime, he thought back to a conversation he had with NPC Executive Director, Renee’ Carey, nearly 15 years ago. At that time, the landowner was a member of the Fishing Creek Sportsmen’s Association. The Association worked with NPC to establish conservation easements to ensure public access to Fishing Creek. With that positive experience in mind, the landowner reached out to NPC to explore donating his land into a conservation easement with NPC as well.
Fast forward to December of 2023, the ‘Knob Mountain’ conservation easement is officially a part of the landowner and NPC’s legacies!
The Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) is a land trust devoted to conserving and enhancing the lands and waters of Northcentral Pennsylvania to support the environmental well-being and recreational needs of local communities. They operate in 12 counties and take on a variety of conservation projects, including working with private landowners to establish conservation easements. Thanks to the generosity of its members and donors, NPC has conserved over 5,400 acres across 52 properties through its conservation easement program. You can help support NPC’s initiatives and make a difference by donating today.
That catchy phrase, “team work makes the dream work,” always comes to mind when reflecting at the end of another construction season. The “team” in this case, is the Northcentral Stream Partnership, a partnership consisting of state agencies, county conservation districts, willing landowners, and NPC. The “dream” – healthy water resources for our communities.
Like most dreams, progress takes time. Fortunately, the Northcentral Stream Partnership came together in 2009, and year after year, has been steadily bringing the region’s waterways back to health while maintaining a working agricultural landscape.
The team works to secure an in-stream log structure with rebar.
The Partnership didn’t waste any time getting the 2023 stream season underway in March at project sites in Northumberland and Montour Counties. Here, landowners were seeing their streambanks wash away with each high water. Eroding streambanks cause sediment to wash into the streams. This sediment smothers aquatic life, leads to habitat loss, clouds the water, and creates higher levels of nutrients. To combat the issue, The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission developed designs for the sites using in-stream stabilization structures (i.e. log vanes and mudsills). The Northumberland County Conservation District and Montour County Conservation District worked with the landowners and coordinated the materials needed for the project. NPC organized the project and administered the funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Growing Greener Grant program. (And yes, despite insulated waders to help keep everyone warm, the water in March is still quite chilly!)
Before: Steep, undercut banks lead to further erosion.After: In-stream log structures stabilize the streambank.
Applying this same model, the Partnership’s work continued in Columbia County on Hemlock Creek and the East Branch of Briar Creek. The Partnership has been able to work with several landowners in other stretches of Hemlock Creek over the last several years.
The East Branch of Briar Creek was another stream the Partnership re-visited in 2023. This year’s project included both streambank stabilization and planting trees for a riparian buffer. Columbia County Conservation District coordinated getting the materials to the site and worked with the landowner throughout the process.
Before: An eroding streambank in Columbia County.After: Gently sloped banks let the stream access its floodplain.
The Tioga County Conservation District organized a project on Canoe Camp Creek. This year’s project built on work done over the years by the Tioga County Conservation District and a past partnership project. While the work happened in May, the group gave a tour of projects in the watershed in mid-November to legislators.
Little Shamokin Creek Watershed Association hosted another project at their property in Northumberland County. They’ve collaborated with the Partnership numerous times over the years helping to find landowners to work with as well as allowing projects on their own property.
Normally projects take place on private properties where most people can’t follow progress and see the stream improve. This year, however, we had a project in a Township park. The Union County Conservation District helped coordinate with East Buffalo Township at their new Turtle Creek Park. The project occurred right along a walking path in the park where the public will be able to watch the stream improve. A live stake planting done in the weeks following the stream project has really started to take off already!
Schwaben Creek in Northumberland County was another stream where the Partnership built off the success of past year’s projects. During last year’s project on Schwaben Creek the neighbors stopped in and asked if their properties might be candidates for future work. Well, indeed they were, and became the 2023 project site on Schwaben Creek!
In October, the Partnership wrapped up the construction season on Susquehecka Creek. The Snyder County Conservation District took the lead on the project, securing the permits, organizing supplies, and walking the landowner through the process.
In the off-season, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will be visiting sites and creating designs for 2024 and 2025. Once the designs for the 2024 projects are complete, the PFBC will have an estimate on how many days projects will take. That information will allow a schedule for the 2024 season to be drafted.
That’s right; we are already talking about 2025! The designs are needed to generate supply lists and supply lists are needed to create budgets. Getting the designs and supply lists now, allows partners to think through funding and apply for grants and other funding opportunities.
The Partnership has funding to get started with the 2024 construction season. NPC submitted an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection earlier this year for funding to continue the Partnership’s work. Grant announcements should be made in January…just as we’re mentally preparing to step our boots back in those frigid March waters!
Whether it is pronounced “soo-mack” or “shoo-mack”; whether it is known as Velvet Sumac, Staghorn Sumac, or scientifically as Rhus typhina; whether people call it a tall shrub or a small tree – it is what it is! And, it is a native (to Eastern N.A.), non-poisonous, deciduous, furry-limbed plant with amazing pyramid-shaped, hairy, red seed heads that stay on during the winter months to provide food for over 30 species of birds and small mammals. Whew! I feel like that should do it. Alas, I suspect some explanation is required.
What’s in a name? The fact that historically leaves and fruits were boiled to make black dye used in tanning leather and a waxy substance used for shining shoes may explain the “shoo-mack” pronunciation.
Deer antlers, as they develop, are covered by a nourishing layer of skin covered with short hairs (the velvet) and small blood vessels that carry the nutrients and minerals for growing bone. The trunk and stems of this plant are covered with short, soft hairs with a furry touch like velvet that resemble the growing antlers of deer. Thus, the use of the common names Staghorn Sumac and Velvet Sumac.
Notice the halo effect created by fine hairs on stem edges as the light hits them.
The species name typhina refers to deer antlers. The name Rhus refers to the whole genus of sumacs (about 35 kinds worldwide) where they are all members of the ANACARDIACEAE or Cashew family, along with some other plants you may recognize: pistachios, cashews, mangos, poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Here is where the sad fact of misidentification or misnaming becomes apparent. There is another plant commonly named Poison Sumac that has smooth bark and white berries as seeds that hang down under the leaves. It is found growing in wetter areas than our Staghorn likes (most of the time). It is in a different genus grouping known as Toxicodendron along with its itchy relatives. Do you see the word “toxic” in their family name? None of them contain a poison, but rather, a very potent allergen that makes susceptible people who touch their leaves, stems or roots, get a contact dermatitis. Our Staghorn Sumac is non-poisonous.
Closeup of seed reveals seeds covered by tiny red hairs.
Look for Staghorn Sumacs along the backroads you travel, with large seed clusters sticking up above where their leaves used to be. These trees are deciduous and shed their leaves in the fall. Sometimes the smaller shrubs in the colonies formed by their spreading roots will retain their bright yellow, orange or red leaves longer. If you get a chance, look at the seeds. In June and July, hundreds to thousands of small yellow to greenish five-petaled flowers attracted many bees, wasps and beetles that spread their pollen around to create these big red clusters of hairy seeds. Look at them with a magnifier. Tiny red Muppets.
Medicinally, the seeds of this plant were removed from their stems and soaked like sun tea until the water turned red as the ascorbic acid in the red hairs seeped out, then strained through cloth so people didn’t actually drink the red hairs (or the bugs that lived in or among them). It was administered as a “refrigerant” or a cooling drink to those suffering from heat problems. It is bitter like lemonade without the sugar. This beverage was used a lot in hospitals during the Civil War. Back as far as 2000 years, Sumac was noted for its medicinal properties as a diuretic.
Silhouettes of Staghorn Sumac seed heads against the sky.
“Summaq” is an Arabic word for dark red. I use a spice mixture called Za’atar when I cook Middle Eastern dishes. The red berries of a species of Summaq that grows on the high plateaus of the Mediterranean region are ground and mixed with thyme and other herbs to provide a tartness that brings out the flavor of foods it is cooked with. BTW, the Emperor Nero used it as an anti-flatulent. TMI?
“Sweet, sweet, a little more sweet” is a mnemonic for identifying the rhythm of the Yellow Warblers’ calls when they cannot be seen among the foliage. It occurred to me that that could be my own personal call as well, along with many other folks, too! Pies, cakes, cookies, candy and much, much more are awaiting us at Thanksgiving and onward towards Christmas. This year, let us be thankful for all of the sweetness in our lives, starting with families, including pets, and extended families, and friends, perhaps with whom we may be sharing a Thanksgiving feast including dessert. We do love our sweets. Even after a full meal, we chow down on something “a little more sweet!” Biologists, who have studied the rise of humankind from our ancient ancestors, report that the taste of sweet we crave may have evolved as a way to detect sources of food with higher calories that could be converted for more energy, fueling rapid growth, and storing more fat to be used later. We may have evolved to seek out and consume plant parts that carry more sweet-tasting fruits, berries, roots.
As you plan and cook your meal, pay attention to the wide variety of ways we get our sweet fix. Many of our sources come in bags of crystals, white to brown, that are refined from grasses like sugarcane or roots like beets. We use a teaspoon here or there to kick up the taste of a recipe or cups of tea and coffee. Do not forget syrups made from the fruits of plants and trees like agave, coconut, monk fruit, and sugar maple. We wouldn’t have the sweetness of honey without the flower nectar collected by bees. It gets broken down into simple sugars that are evaporated in the hive making a thick syrup. It takes 556 worker bees to gather nectar from two million flowers to make one pound. Sugar substitutes should not be forgotten, either. When made with erythritol, this type of alcohol is synthesized from corn.
While you are thanking the plants, trees, bees, don’t forget the taste buds in your mouth and your brain. When our tongues touch sugar, the taste buds there send a signal to the brain, which reacts in a way that brings us pleasure. Our response to this sensation may have been fixed in place over millennia by natural selection and has become an instinct. The sweet taste tells you to keep eating. A bitter taste may tell you to spit it out. (Hmm, that could explain my aversion to some leafy, green veggies that are supposed to be good for me.) Have a Happy Plantsgiving!
As an historical reenactor using the living history personae of a Pre-Columbian medicine woman or a colonial dame or a Civil War Era soldier, I have had the distinct honor of introducing the people visiting my presentations to the plants and trees that I love so much. One special tree that I was introduced to in Virginia twenty-four years ago near a Civil War reenactment is Osage Orange, Maclura pomifera, a member of the Mulberry Family, MORACEAE. It just grabbed my attention. If you happen upon one, hiking or driving by fencerows on backroads or near abandoned pasturelands after leaf fall, Osage Orange may grab your attention as well! The greenish-orange fruits on mature female trees can grow up to 4 and1/2 inches in diameter and hang there like early Christmas tree decorations until they fall off!
Sue Sprout posing with Osage Orange fruit and trees at an event.
Native to the southwestern part of the country – Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas – they are more common south of Pennsylvania, but they are found growing here and have been planted in many different states for a variety of reasons. Native Americans fashioned bows using their tight, springy wood; farmers and ranchers planted rows of them as prickly fences to keep livestock from straying. They are definitely not planted for food as they are inedible by everything despite the word “orange” in their name.
Looking up at Osage oranges from along the road.
I carried home with me the fruits of this amazing tree for years, trying to get them to grow nearby. I would just dig a hole and pop the fruits in it and let nature take its course. No luck, even though each one of those hunky fruits could contain hundreds of seeds. Ah ha! Those fruits must come from a female tree whose June flowers have been germinated by bees carrying pollen from a tree with male flowers! Finally! Three years ago, success appeared in the form of a small forest of tiny, two-leafed saplings growing up in a tangled mass. As young as they were, I recognized their bright dye-filled yellow roots as I transplanted them in a dish. I now have a grove of Osage Orange trees to bring into my house for winter. Their yellow fall leaves are just beginning to drift off. In the spring, they will be planted here and there outside. Hopefully, they will have both sexes of trees growing near each other so they can reproduce.
Osage oranges hiding among leaves in October before leaf fall.
The Appalachian Trail is a public footpath that follows more than 2,100 miles of Appalachian Mountain ridgelines between Maine and Georgia. Traversing the entire AT has been long been a coveted journey of thru hiking enthusiasts everywhere. It’s a rigorous and rewarding trek that each year thousands of hikers attempt; only about one in four makes it all the way.
For Nan “Dragon Fly” Reisinger, she not only completed the journey, but in doing so also earned the title as the oldest female hiker to complete the AT in one year.
On Wednesday, 11/1, NPC will welcome Nan to Orlando’s Restaurant in Muncy to share her story with the community. This FREE talk will take place at 6pm in the banquet room. Seating is first come, first serve.
The Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) is a regional land trust conserving and enhancing the lands and waters in a 12 county area. With the support of its members and donors, the organization supports the environmental well-being and recreational needs of local communities.
For more information about this event, please contact the NPC office at 570-323-6222.
A surprising find, in the truck room of our local volunteer fire company – a baby snapping turtle! Coming back from a midnight fire call, my Safety Officer husband and the Assistant Chief saw a small dark shadow moving from the back wall of the station house toward the front doors. A lucky rescue for this silver-dollar-size hatchling that undoubtedly had been fending for itself from the minute it struggled out of its leathery, ping pong ball-shaped egg and began digging upward.
Baby snapper on mulch.
In the spring, female snapping turtles looking for suitable places to dig holes and lay twenty to eighty eggs, have been found up to a mile away from the water sources that were their homes. Nine to eighteen weeks later (depending on the temperature), the sand pile over the eggs erupts as hatchlings make a run for it toward the nearest stream, swamp, pond. They do not stick together, but go singly to learn about the world, instinctively heading for water. The firehouse snapper may have sensed wetness and entered to check it out. That got it a free ride to a local stream the next day where it crawled right in and swam away.
It did not have to learn hard lessons on the way to water: nest predators (minks, weasels, skunks, raccoons) nor wayside predators (dogs, crows, motor vehicles). In the water, other predators (bigger turtles, fish, and snakes, herons from above) will provide much needed life lessons.
Heading into the creek.
Snapping turtles spend most of their lives underwater – a nice muddy bottom to overwinter and lots of dense vegetation for hiding and eating. At least a third of their diet is made up of green plants. Since they are omnivores, they will start hunting smaller animals first (aquatic insects, spiders, worms, tadpoles, tiny fish) and work their way up to larger animals as they grow – grow into excellent ambush predators (birds, small mammals, other reptiles, faster amphibians) using the patience for waiting in stillness and lightning quick reflexes for grabbing their prey.
Beginning to submerge in its element, finally!
Our little firehouse snapper could grow up to two feet in length, weighing twenty-five to thirty-five pounds on average. In my mind, I try to picture a fully grown turtle with algae or moss growing on its carapace, or shell, hanging relaxed in a pond with only the nostrils on the tip of its snout protruding. The three small bumps on the top of its shell when younger, flattened by growth. And definitely not being the kind of turtle that retreats into a shell when frightened or maltreated. Heavens, no! It will snap and bite at the slightest excuse, make hissing noises and, perhaps, release a musty odor. With claws as sharp as bears’, strong hooked jaws, a large head with a longer neck, and powerfully-muscled legs of a body that just won’t all fit in the comparatively small shell, this turtle will do damage. Here, the only things snapping turtles have to fear are pollution, habitat destruction, food scarcity, and road mortality.
Snapping turtles are native to the North American Continent from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to the edge of the Rocky Mountains. They are the largest of our freshwater turtles. If taken for food, their flesh may contain concentrations of toxic environmental pollutants. If found on a roadway, picking one up by the tail can severely injure its spinal column and pulling one could abrade its flesh possibly causing infection. Coaxed onto a blanket, tarp or sheet before dragging is a healthier (for it) and safer (for you) way to save a snapping turtle from road mortality.
I have been looking for this plant. It can bloom from July to October, depending on where it grows. And depending on where I look since it is a native in North America all the way from Labrador to Georgia and Louisiana. According to a Pennsylvania native plant site on-line, it has been found growing in every county in our state. I finally found mine in disturbed soil under a shady Spruce tree in Lycoming County!
Indian Tobacco plant
Indian Tobacco is definitely not showy like its two-to-four-foot-tall bright red relative Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) that decorates stream banks and wetlands. Or its three-to-four-foot-tall bright blue relative Great Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), a plant I wrote about in a previous post. All three are members of the Bellflower Family and have tube-type flowers with five thin, pointed lobes – two at the top resembling ears extending upward and three on the bottom edge sticking out like lower lips.
Check out the five-lobed flowers and the white dots on leaf edges
Indian Tobacco is a thinner and much less robust-looking plant at three feet tall with ½ inch pale lavender to white flowers. Each flower tube is cupped at the bottom by a green leafy calyx with five thin green points that extend out beyond the lobes of the flower. Here is the totally cool thing about the cup on the bottom of the flower tube – it is where the seeds develop after pollination has taken place AND it is where the species name, inflata, comes from. As the fruits grow and swell, they morph or inflate into round capsules measuring about 3/8th inch and look like tiny balloons tied on the stems. When mature and dried, the balloons will burst and give seeds to the wind!
Seed “balloons”
The simple leaves of Indian Tobacco can be hairy on both sides. They grow alternately on the plant stem that can be hairy, too. They are oval and range from 1 to 2 1/2 inches in length. Another feature that may catch your eye is the leaves’ toothed edges that have white dots on them. Surprise! I do not know, maybe it is the plant’s milky sap oozing out the tips.
The common name, Indian Tobacco, comes from native populations’ documented use of the leaves for smoking as a tobacco, by itself or mixed with other dried plants. Chewed leaves were also used for internal cleansing as an emetic, a practice that gave the plant another common name – Puke Plant! This plant and others in the same genus contain moderately poisonous alkaloids like lobeline. Nausea, vomiting, sweating, heart palpitations can result from its use. Beware!
