Noteworthy Collections: Missouri
Noteworthy Collections: Missouri
Three thriving mature American chestnuts were discovered in 1975 in Porter County of northwest Indiana. Each was within 200 meters of one another in a small undisturbed woodland. One had several smaller chestnuts surrounding it that were of sufficient random distance from the larger to suggest seed rather than vegetative origin. This tree and its satellites showed no signs of the chestnut canker disease that has virtually eliminated large C. dentata specimens from North America, yet the fungus had long before deeply established itself in the other two large trees nearby.
Before reporting on the current affairs of the SABC, I remind us all that the state of the environment is not the responsibility of OTHERS, but of EACH of us. Most of us live in or near the Southern Appalachians, one of the most beautiful areas on earth. It is up to us to do what we can to keep them this way so that we will not be the last of our species to have them to enjoy. This goes for other sensitive areas around the country.
Euphorbia purpurea (Raf.) Fern., historically known from southern Ohio in the early 1900s, was re-collected in 1987 in Pike County, Ohio. The Ohio population is disjunct by approximately 300 km from the nearest known population.
Glade Fern Ravine, a ravine about 10 hectares in size in northern Oconee County, South Carolina, harbors 16 species of ferns. The spleenwort Asplenium monanthes L. and the filmy fern Trichomanes petersii Gray, both rare in the southern Appalachians, are common here. Plants of Athyrium pycnocarpon (Sprengel) Tidestrom cover the lower slopes of the ravine, the fern’s second reported locality from South Carolina. Noteworthy species of trees, mosses, and liverworts are also found in the ravine. Many of the rare species found in Glade Fern Ravine are calciophilous species. The ravine is located in the Brevard geologic belt, rocks of which have weathered into a rich calcareous soil. The ravine’s rich circumneutral soil and its northeasterly orientation combine to make Glade Fern Ravine an ideal refuge for moist-site calciophiles.
Fruit and leaf variation in mulberry (Morus L.) was studied in 1 984 and 1985 at Bowling Green, Kentucky. Significant differences in fruit and leaf characteristics were found among branches within trees, among trees, and between years. High levels of phenotypic plasticity were evident for both fruit and leaf characteristics. The author suggests that phenotypic plasticity may have contributed to mulberry’s growth and survival under disruptive environmental conditions, but may have limited its competitive ability with other tree species.
Tomanthera auriculata (Michx.) Raf., an annual member of the Scrophulariaceae, is a rare species reported to be hemiparasitic. The species is currently under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for possible listing as a federally threatened or endangered species. In greenhouse culture two of eight potential host species (Rudbeckia fulgida Ait. and Helianthus occidentalis Riddell) proved to be suitable hosts; Tomanthera auriculata seedlings in flats with these species grew to maturity, flowered, and produced viable seed. Photographs were taken to document the presence of haustoria on the roots of T. auriculata. This first reported success of culturing this species with selected hosts under greenhouse conditions is significant for recovery efforts and management of the species.
Vegetation and flora of the Pilot serpentine area were studied in Cecil County, Maryland. The ground layer of the 0.5 ha opening comprises 44 vascular plant taxa, including Aster depauperatus, Sporobolus heterolepis, and Talinum teretifolium which are rare in Maryland. Sporobolus heterolepis and Schizachyrium scoparium were community dominants, comprising 56% of total cover. Sporobolus heterolepis was most abundant in the perimeter of the opening which was in Pinus virginiana woodland and late savanna stages of succession. The non-perimeter region was mostly in grassland and early savanna stages. Drought stress was incidentally identified as an important factor inhibiting Pinus virginiana succession.
This book provides documented county distribution data on the vascular flora of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau region of Ohio. The flora includes 2,002 species and 27 in terspecific hybrids belonging to 706 genera and 148 families. For each taxon cited, county occurrences are indicated by two-letter acronyms. Taxa are presented in a catalogue format and nomenclature generally follows Gray’s Manual of Botany, 8th Edition.
Woody and herbaceous vegetation were quantitatively sampled in sixteen red spruce (Picea rubens) stands in Highland County, Virginia. Sampled stands occurred at two basic locations 1) > 1200 m on ridges and 2) in swamps along stream valleys. Woody vegetation was similar to that of other spruce forests in the central Appalachians. At undisturbed sites, the herbaceous stratum was also typical of spruce forests. Size class distributions indicate both mature and immature communities are present. Field evidence and the available palynologic data suggest that modern spruce distribution is similar to its distribution before human influence. Red spruce abundance has been greatly affected by Quaternary climatic fluctuations and regional physiography.