Castanea Archives

Catillaria fungoides is newly reported for North America based on collections from the temperate eastern United States. A detailed description based on North American material is provided, the distribution is mapped, and images are provided. The species is likely widespread but overlooked due to its inconspicuous appearance.

Physaria globosa (Brassicaceae), commonly known as Short’s Bladderpod, is a federally protected species restricted to Tennessee, Kentucky, and southern Indiana. In 2016, we studied aspects of life history and ecology in a population of P. globosa near Hartsville, Tennessee. Our objectives were to document fecundity-related life history traits and to examine the potential influence of light levels and soil depth on plant growth and reproductive output. In addition, we examined 45 herbarium specimens of P. globosa to assess the potential relationship between taproot size and number of inflorescences per plant. We found the strongest positive relationships between the number of

Sexual dimorphism in plant growth and/or reproductive responses to the surrounding environment has been documented in some plant species. In gynodioecious plants, it is especially important to understand whether females and hermaphrodites differ in their response to environmental stressors, as the fitness of females relative to hermaphrodites determines the extent to which these separate sexes are maintained in natural populations. Soil nutrient availability is of particular importance given the different nutrient requirements of male and female sexual functions in plants. Here, we evaluated and compared the growth of females and hermaphrodites of Geranium maculatum in response to varying levels of

An estimated 390 million herbarium specimens worldwide provide data for scientific study, but specimen labels must be transcribed into standardized databases to be readily useable by the scientific community. Yet, data entry cannot be completed with current staffing and funding. Notes from Nature provides an infrastructure for community science transcription of natural history specimen labels with tutorials and a platform for communication among community scientists and researchers. The Plants of Arkansas project, now led by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, built an active transcription community by coordinating local universities, recruiting service organizations, and engaging worldwide users online. Training members of

The collection reported here of Palamocladium leskeoides, made in Tennessee, represents the first documented observation of antheridia on this species in North America. Palamocladium leskeoides is a dioicous moss species with a pantropical distribution. Uncommon in the United States, it grows in disjunct populations in moist habitats on calcareous rock. We visited Rock Island State Park (Warren County, Tennessee) in 2019 and relocated a population of this species that was last collected from that location in 1979. Two small voucher specimens were collected and one was observed to have a perigonium containing antheridia attached to the stem. The invasive evergreen

Nuphar sagittifolia (Nymphaeaceae), Cape Fear spatterdock, is an aquatic macrophyte endemic to the Atlantic Coastal Plain and of conservation concern in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia in the United States. The existence of populations of unclear taxonomic identity has precluded assessment of the number of populations, distribution, and conservation needs of N. sagittifolia. The circumscription of the species was re-assessed using morphological and genetic analyses. Approximately 30 individuals from each of 21 populations of Nuphar across the N. sagittifolia range were included in genetic and morphological analyses, along with the type populations for three taxa. Genetic diversity was assessed

Within the Roan Mountain massif in the southern Appalachian Mountains, grassy balds are important, yet threatened ecosystems dominated by native graminoids with many endemic and endangered species. Restoration efforts have been conducted for 30 years by several agencies. In 1987–1988 a vegetation analysis was conducted on these balds to characterize plant communities before intensive management began. In summer 2020, we resurveyed the vegetation using similar methodologies on Round, Jane, and part of Grassy Ridge Balds to assess the impact of management activities. Percent coverage of vegetation type was recorded in 226 one m2 plots along 11 transects. Management history was

Dichanthelium wrightianum, a species of panic grass whose North American range is exclusive to the Coastal Plain, is reported from Tennessee for the first time. A single population of this species was discovered in a wet grassland remnant in the Eastern Highland Rim physiographic region alongside many other species disjunct from the Coastal Plain. Another Coastal Plain Dichanthelium, D. roanokense, was found at a second wet grassland nearby. While D. roanokense was previously reported for Tennessee, it has not been recently documented or confirmed to be extant within the state and its current status should be reviewed. The ecology and