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IOS Tour of the Carolinas
Growing up on a farm in rural western Kentucky, I had always had a fondness for oaks. After I moved to Houston, I realized what a great place Texas was for oaks. We joined the IOS at the Houston Botanic Garden and plan to make oaks one of our major collections. After my first IOS trip across west Texas and New Mexico, the 10th IOS Conference in Las Cruces, NM back in 2022, I knew there was no turning back, and I was thrilled to be able to attend the most recent Tour of the Carolinas!
Friday, October 11 The Tour began with an evening reception hosted at Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories in Charlotte, NC. Approximately 25 members and several Bartlett staff members gathered for social time and a wonderful dinner. One could sense the excitement in the air as old friends caught up and new acquaintances were made. As if the delicious dinner were not enough, we were treated to an impromptu tour of the diagnostics lab by the wife and husband team of Sienna and Matt Borden. Bartlett’s top-notch labs are solely for company research purposes, as they do not take samples from the public. Bartlett’s lab is the only private lab in the National Plant Diagnostic Network. I think we were all quite impressed with Sienna’s demonstration of their new DNA extraction machine, which can run 96 samples in 38 minutes. Not too shabby! With that, we were all off to our respective hotels to get some sleep for the first “real” day of the Tour.

Day 1 - Saturday, October 12 Our first morning began with all Tour participants gathering again at the Bartlett Conference Center where we were greeted by Bartlett’s Director of Horticulture and Plant Conservation, Adam Black. After a round of introductions by all Tour members, Adam gave us an overview of the history of the company (founded in 1907) and the 350-acre arboretum, which contains over 9,000 accessioned plants. Likely knowing we were all chomping at the bit to get out and see some oaks, Adam didn’t keep us too long, and the balance of the day was spent roaming the gorgeous grounds admiring the extensive collections and doing some collecting of our own. Bartlett boasts one of the best oak collections in the world and a few of the most interesting seen, at least to me, this day were Quercus myrsinifolia, Q. glauca, Q. acuta, and Q. chenii.

After we had our Quercus appetite somewhat satiated (is it ever really fully satiated?), we headed out for actual food at a nice little local Mexican restaurant where a cerveza or two may or may not have been consumed and some lies were definitely told! We all headed back to the hotel as we looked forward to hitting the road the following morning to continue our quest.
Day 2 - Sunday, October 13 Leaving Charlotte, we traveled by van to a town by the interesting name of Ninety Six, South Carolina. Just outside of town on a gravel road, we saw some specimens of Q. oglethorpensis, Q. falcata, Q. pagoda, and Q. sinuata. A quick stop at the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store earned us some odd looks, as several of us were wearing our IOS gear. We answered some good-natured questions about our group and what we were doing. Word must have spread, as on a return trip later in the day the apparently second shift of employees at the store greeted us with a “Are y’all the Oak People?” To which we proudly replied in the affirmative.
After a quick lunch from the local Subway and some musings on the origins of the name “Ninety Six” (look it up), we hit the road again to try make it to Clemson University to see the historical Centennial oak, a Q, macrocarpa, before sundown. There was a lot of windshield time, and just as was mentioned regarding the recent Tour of California trip, much fun and engaging conversation was had during van time. Our NASCAR drivers Adam and Loren got us to Clemson just in time to see this impressive specimen in the light of the setting sun. We did a quick group photo and then all started snapping away madly with our personal cameras. According to Clemson’s website, the Centennial oak is over 100 years old and is 67 feet high with a 104-foot branch spread. Impressive, indeed.

Day 3 - Monday, October 14 Our destination this day was the historic Woodlanders Nursery to meet with longtime nursery co-owner, Bob McCartney, and new owner, Fiona von Grey. After being welcomed by Bob and Fiona, we had a quick lunch of sandwiches and chips, graciously provided by our hosts. Afterwards, we got a brief history of the nursery and an update on new happenings by von Grey. Bidding us farewell, von Grey turned us over to McCartney, who had lined up a City trolley to take us around Aiken to see the many rare oaks he and his staff have planted around town over the past several decades.
This proved to be a real treat, as McCartney had extensive notes, which he referred to along the way. Some of the oaks we saw on our trolley ride, with frequent stops, were: Q. franchetii, Q. calophylla, and Q. germana, to name but a few. It really was quite amazing to witness the amount of oak diversity in this small town as well as being able to collect from them! More towns should follow the lead of Mr. McCartney.

Not long before this trip commenced, the states of North and South Carolina were hit by Hurricane Helene, causing extensive damage. We had already seen examples of Helene’s wrath along our drive, but one sad thing to see here in Aiken was the damage to the historic home/office of Woodlanders that had occurred as a result of two gigantic oaks being blown directly over onto it. Luckily, they were not using it at the time of the storm. Despite this sad sight, I think we will all remember Bob and Fiona’s generosity on this stop.

Day 4 - Tuesday, October 15 As we rolled across the landscape on our way to Savannah, Gerogia, we passed several Pinus elliottii (slash pine) and P. palustris (longleaf pine) farms. Other forms of agriculture noted were peanuts, cotton, cattle farms, and sod farms, as well as lumber and power pole mills to process the aforementioned pines.
Arriving mid-morning to the beautiful Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus, we were greeted by Phillip Schretter and Mike Carr, who manage the grounds. After a quick welcome and introductions, we were off to view their extensive oak collection around campus. There was a great variety of oaks and many other plants to see here. Again, we were graciously allowed to collect seed from any plants we came across.
We also encountered a cool little shrub-form persimmon, Diospyros rhombifolia, which was festooned with small (1 ¼”-wide) pyramidal, bright orange fruit. I’m not sure about its edibility, but it certainly has great ornamental appeal to my eye.

After saying our goodbyes, we were on the road again and Charleston-bound to see the famous Angel Oak on Johns Island! This centuries-old Q. virginiana (live oak) must be seen to fully appreciate its grandeur. I had seen countless pictures of it over the years and, being an aspiring photographer myself, was looking forward to my chance to get some decent photos.
The first thing one notices when this majestic tree comes into view is just how massive it is. Live oaks, generally, don’t get very tall, but the Angel oak is an exception, standing 65’ tall; however, it’s the circumference of the trunk at 31.5’ and the canopy that spans over 180’ and provides over 17,000 sq. ft. of shade that make the uniqueness of this tree sink in. Thought to be over 400 years old, it is truly a sight to behold. I was simply in awe of the grand denizen of nature.

Day 5 - Wednesday, October 16 Wednesday dawned cold, cloudy, and blustery, but nothing warms the spirits like the thoughts of seeing an oak on the beach, right??? Our first stop this morning was on Sullivan’s Island. Immediately out of the vans, Adam pointed out a nice specimen of Q. hemisphaerica to us. It is a Red Oak section of Quercus, sect. Lobatae, and often confused with Q. laurifolia due to similarities in leaf form.
Moving down the boardwalk from the parking area and towards the beach, we were greeted with other plants that inhabited the dunes, such as Oenothera drummondii, Monarda punctata, and Morella cerifera, to name but a few, but what about that oak on the beach? As we meandered down the beach, Adam pointed out a couple of what he explained were the closest-to-type Q. geminata that he knew of in the area… just yards from the water! These specimens didn’t look overly happy, and few, if any, acorns were found; however, it’s entirely possible that they could have already dropped and been scavenged by birds and rodents. Still, it was interesting to me to see an oak mere yards away from the surf.

From here we were off towards the Francis Marion National Forest, where we were all in for a real treat! This area contains a beautifully preserved Pinus palustris ecosystem, and, in my mind, it was a highlight of the trip to be able to explore here for a bit. Tour members were able to view the gorgeous understory of various ferns, grasses, Sarracenia flava (yellow pitcher plant) and Drosera sp. (sundew). Additionally, we saw the diminutive Q. minima and Q. pumila here along with Q. margaretta, Ilex glabra (inkberry), Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum), Magnolia virginiana (sweetbay magnolia), Nyssa sylvatica (blackgum), and grasses such as Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) Andropogon glomeratus (bushy bluestem). It was a gorgeous habitat to have the privilege to explore, if only for a little while. I think we were all a bit sad to climb back in the vans and leave this beautiful area behind and resume the trek to Raleigh.

Day 6- Thursday, October 17 Our first stop on Thursday morning was the J.C. Raulston Arboretum, which was founded in 1976 by Dr. James Chester Raulston, a horticulturist at North Carolina State University.

The arboretum is 10.5 acres in size and has an amazing collection of plants in which oaks, of course, figure prominently. We were greeted and toured around by Director of Horticulture, Greg Paige. Paige is a great plantsman and showed us many wonderful plants in this well-maintained garden.


The afternoon took us to the famous Plant Delights/Juniper Level Botanic Garden, run by legendary plantsman and collector Tony Avent. In a garden spread across 28 acres, Tony has amassed a spectacular collection of plants that simply boggles the mind. Making his accomplishments even more impressive is the fact that he and his staff somehow manage to not only make plants grow but thrive in a soil that reportedly tests out at a pH of 3.5!

His mail order nursery (Plant Delights) helps fund his ex-situ conservation efforts. He also runs his own trials of many different types of plants: hundreds, if not thousands, of Trillium species and 400–500 Mahonia species, for example. They are only open to the public four times a year, two weekends each season, so if you are ever lucky enough to be in the area during one of those times do yourself a favor and stop by—you will not be disappointed!

Day 7 - Friday, October 18 On the last day of the Tour, we visited the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, NC. We were greeted by Director of Horticulture Bob Mottern and other Garden Leadership who toured us around the 55-acre rolling woodland hills. Bob showed us several impressive oaks scattered throughout the garden. Another highlight was the 6.5-acre Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, which was simply stunning this time of year, showing off its finest fall colors and blooms.
We were also lucky enough to be joined on the tour by Dr. Paul Manos, Professor of Biology at Duke University, whom I had met and roomed with on a previous IOS trip. According to Duke’s website, Manos’s research emphasizes woody plants, especially the systematics of Fagaceae (the oak family), Juglandaceae (the walnut family), and related wind-pollinated families of flowering plants (Fagales). Paul is a down-to-earth kind of guy and he talked with us some about the Garden’s oaks, including an impressive Q. ×heterophylla (Bartram oak), a natural hybrid between Q. phellos and Q. rubra.

As the day wound down we all realized that our time together was coming to an end and I reflected back on all the great new friends I’d made and the old ones I’d become reacquainted with. Representing several countries, I think we all realized what a small world it really is, and it was nice to see how we all came together over our love for oaks and plants, in general. From our thought-provoking van talks about oak leaf morphology (one conversation revolved around the difference between a sinus and a lobe) to night botanizing (yes, one night we were looking at an oak by flashlight!), to enjoying great meals together, it was a great trip filled with great people.

I would like to thank the folks who put the trip itinerary together and planned this Tour, especially Bartlett Tree Experts for their generous sponsorship. Also a big thanks to our van drivers who got us all safely from point A to B each day, especially having to plan new routes to some destinations due to closures related to Hurricane Helene. As always, these IOS-hosted Tours are top notch. Great job by all!
Photos © Brent Moon unless specified otherwise