Special Plants of the Jocassee Gorges

The Native Plant Society presents Dr. Patrick McMillan at its annual meeting on Sept. 18, in Greenville. The program begins at 7pm in the J. Verne Smith Technical Resource Center Auditorium on the Main Campus of Greenville Technical College, 620 South Pleasantburg Drive. The program is free and open to the public. Dr. McMillan will take attendees on a fern-focused trip to one of South Carolina’s botanical treasures: the Jocassee Gorges. He will present some of his latest discoveries, the Copper Fern and Wright’s Cliffbrake, which have never before been found in South Carolina. In his talk, titled “The unique ferns and new discoveries of the Jocassee Gorges”, McMillan will describe some of the special plants of the Gorges. The region is well known for its overall geological and climate diversity as well as the diversity of plants and animals that inhabit the undulating hills and valleys. The Jocassee Gorges are regarded by some botanists as being the fern capital of North America. For years, the Gorges was a magnet for curious botanists willing to explore the often steep, impenetrable hillsides. Their botanical curiosity was rewarded with discoveries of a large variety of plants unique to that environment. Some of the newly located species even include plants unexpected in this region. These plant populations typically find more comfortable homes in tropical locations or even the desert southwest. Dr. McMillan is known through his engaging SCETV program “Expeditions with Patrick McMillan”. He is a professional biologist and naturalist and is the director of both the SC Botanical Garden and Bob Campbell Geology Museum. McMillan is also the Hilliard professor of environmental sustainability at Clemson where he currently teaches Forest Biology, Natural History and Plant Taxonomy. He is a popular speaker at Upstate events and has contributed articles to SC Wildlife and National Wildlife magazines.