FOLLOW-UP ON THE NEWS
FOLLOW-UP ON THE NEWS; Flower Chase
By Richard Haitch
Published: August 12, 1984
A year ago Dr. Rolf Martin of Brooklyn College invited the public to hunt for the sandplain gerardia, a wild flower approaching extinction. He said the Rare and Endangered Plant Exchange, a committee of American botanists, would pay $100 to the first person to send him a color photo of the flower and tell where it was growing.
The sandplain gerardia, from 4 to 14 inches tall, is a native of the Northeast. It has five squared-off petals, which are deep pink, with darker spots near a cream-colored center. It blooms in late August and throughout September.
''We got between 100 and 200 responses,'' Dr. Martin says - but so far no sandplain gerardia. ''We got a lot of slender and purple gerardias, which are not endangered.''
The search continues, he says, noting that some 100 other flowers and plants, ''possibly extinct,'' are eligible for $100 rewards. For a list, write to Wildflower Discovery Project, Biology Department, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201.