Newly identified plant found only in Pine Barrens is named for New Jersey, scientist says
Scientists are buzzing about a unique find deep in New Jersey's Pine Barrens.
Temple University Professor Sasha Eisenman and Russell Juelg, a senior land steward with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, took CBS News Philadelphia to the Chatsworth section of the Pine Barrens to check it out.
Dozens of miles away from any Temple classroom, they took us to see a newly identified species of plant.
It's the work of Eisenman, the chair of Temple's Department of Architecture and Environmental Design.
"The plant is called Triantha × novacaesariensis, which is basically Latin for New Jersey," said Eisenman, who chose the name.
"The Pine Barrens of New Jersey is sort of like a little haven, it's like a little spot where we have some rare plants you can't find anywhere else in the world," Juelg said.
Eisman's work included disproving a theory that the small-bladed plant was a hybrid of another species in North America. Genetic testing, DNA sampling and research confirmed this was a rarity found only in the Pine Barrens, he said.
"I even looked at specimens in Paris that were collected by early explorers to understand all of the morphological, the structural differences of the plants," Eisenman said.
All of this has taken thousands of hours in what's known as a streamside savanna — an open, wet area in the Pine Barrens — as well in the laboratory.
Some of the hazards of the job? Ticks and other critters, and you could lose a boot in the process.
"Soggy spots in here, sometimes you'll go down up to your knee — or worse," Juelg said.
"In the 1700s, people were out here exploring plants," Eisenman said. "In this area, though, you can still find new and novel things."
The newly identified plant flowers in late June.
"It's amazing, the more we look, the more we do the research," Juelg said, "the more we find new and interesting things about the Pine Barrens."