Volume 55 – Issue 3 (Sep 1990)

A taxonomic study of the vascular flora of Paynes Prairie State Preserve was conducted on the 1160 hectare southern upland property adjacent to the southern rim of the prairie basin. Plant communities of this area, forming a dynamic continuum and a changing vegetational mosaic, are typical of northcentral Florida and possess a moderately high degree of biological diversity. Collections of 573 species representing 123 families were made from January 1986 to December 1989 and are compiled in an annotated list. Voucher specimens have been placed in the University of Florida Vascular Plant Herbarium (FLAS). The species list and specimens will provide useful information for park personnel and other persons who are interested in the vascular flora and plant communities of northcentral Florida.

Dr. Wilbur H. Duncan is the second recipient of the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award. The Award was presented to Dr. Duncan by one of his former students, Dr. Wayne R. Faircloth (Valdosta State College), at the annual breakfast meeting of the Club during the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, April 19-21.

Noteworthy Collections: West Virginia

Contemporary plant manuals containing treatments of eastern North American Asteraceae (e.g., Brown and Brown 1984, Cronquist 1980, Gleason and Cronquist 1963, Strausbaugh and Core 1970) accept the name Hieracium traillii Greene for a species occurring mostly on shale barren habitats from Pennsylvania to Virginia.

This book, which is volume 2, part 3 of the Vascular Flora of Ohio, is a project of the Ohio Flora Committee of the Ohio Academy of Science.

The flora and vegetation of six open barren and fringing forest sites were examined on the eastern Highland Rim of Tennessee. All sites are on flat to undulating loess-derived soils. A total of 560 vascular plants occur. Of the 530 native taxa, 76 are woody, and 27 are on the list of rare plants of the state. Major families are the Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, and Fabaceae. The flora is most closely related to those of the barrens of the western Highland Rim and of West Tennessee. (There is only a small western United States element.) Tallgrass vegetation on the May Prairie, the best of the remaining open barrens, is characterized by two types: big bluestem-tall panicum and tall panicum-little bluestem.

Population studies of Dermatocarpon miniatum (L.) Mann. from rock outcrops at Kankakee River State Park, Kankakee and Will counties, Illinois, show that this species is polymorphic for cyanide production. Of the nine populations examined, all individuals from six were 100% strongly cyanogenic while in the remaining populations 67% to 97% of the individuals were cyanogenic. Specimens of D. fluviatile (G. Web.) Th. Fr. were occasionally found to be weakly cyanogenic.

This is the first comprehensive field guide for the native shrubs and woody vines of the Southeast. Brief introductory chapters consider such topics as plant structure, landscaping, conservation, attracting wildlife, ecology, propagation, and photography. There are extensive lists suggesting which species to plant for specific site conditions and landscape uses. I found the book especially helpful for browsing to get ideas on plants to use in various landscape situations. The species treated in the main identification section do include most (but not all) southeastern shrubs and woody vines, though there is only one oak (Quercus pumila) mentioned.

The Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award