Volume 56 – Issue 1 (March 1991)

Cameron Parish is located in the southwesternmost corner of Louisiana. There are seven basic vegetational regions within the parish. These may be recognized by the vascular plant species composition and by distinguishing physiographic features. A survey of the vascular flora of the approximately 1,087,360 acres of Cameron Parish was conducted and includes collections made from September 1983 to April 1985. Specimens housed in several other Louisiana herbaria were also examined, as was pertinent literature. Both are included here. Names of the 1,103 species representing 142 families found during this study have been compiled in an annotated catalogue which includes references to the vegetational region in which they occur, habitat, frequency of occurrence, and whether each species is native or non-native. Six species new to the state were discovered during this survey.

Seeds of the summer annual Tomanthera auriculata (Michx.) Raf. collected in Roane County, Tennessee, were dormant at maturity in October, and thus did not germinate when tested in light (14 h photoperiod) or continuous darkness over a range of (12/12h) thermoperiods from 15(day)/6(night) to 35/20℃. Cold stratification was required to break seed dormancy, and the optimum thermoperiod for germination of nondormant seeds was 15/6 or 20/10℃. Light was required for germination, and maximum germination percentages were obtained for seed samples that were both cold-stratified and incubated in light. Germination data from soil samples collected in the field in Roane County, Tennessee, and Adams County, Ohio, indicate that seeds can remain viable at population sites for at least 2.5 and 3.5 years, respectively. In a study with seeds collected in Roane County, Tennessee, 75% of those exposed to natural temperature cycles during burial in a nonheated greenhouse became nondormant during winter, and all of them re-entered dormancy in summer. During the second winter of burial, only 45% of the seeds became nondormant; however, ungerminated seeds were still viable. The dormancy breaking and germination requirements of T. auriculata are similar to those of some common, geographically widespread species, and thus do not appear to be related to its rarity.

Noteworthy Collections: Maryland

Newcomers to a state are often baffled and confused by the use of obscure terminology to describe local physiographic regions. When I first moved to Kentucky, references to the vegetation of the Knobs region made little sense to me because I could not find the Knobs region on a map. For newcomers and longtime residents alike, who have always wanted a concise description of Kentucky native vegetation placed in the context of physiography, this publication will be a handy and useful reference.

R.W. Wilbur kindly pointed out to me that I had reported this species (Uttal 1989) from a new location in South Carolina under an incorrect name. The correct name of this species was determined by Wilbur (1963) as Uvularia puberula Michaux; however it was listed as U. pudica (Walter) Fernald by Radford, Ahles, and Bell (1968) in the most recent flora of the region. My specimen, determined and reported as Uvularia pudica var. nitida (Britton) Fernald, from the outer Coastal Plain of Horry County, was the first report of this variety from South Carolina. The varietal name was based on the nomenclature of Fernald (1950), wherein he changed the earlier name he had assigned this taxon (Fernald 1935), Uvularia puberula var. nitida (Britton) Fernald.

Fieldwork was conducted in Virginia to find new populations of Juncus caesariensis Coville, a rare rush of localized distribution in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. Nine new stations were discovered, seven along power line rights-of-way. Four of the power line stations had two subpopulations. Habitat characteristics, distribution, and floristic associates are given. Although further investigations need to be made, it appears that early successional conditions favorable to Juncus caesariensis are being maintained in open, frequently disturbed power line bogs.

A floristic survey at Indian Springs and High Falls State Parks, Georgia, documented 556 different species, 337 genera, and 113 families. Five species usually restricted to the coastal plain were found. Most of the vegetation at High Falls is second growth following the abandonment of cotton culture. However, a small tract of relatively intact forest occurs at Indian Springs.

Sagittaria fasciculata E.O. Beal is an aquatic plant endemic to two counties of the Carolinas. It occurs in partially shaded, constantly flowing seeps over a substrate consisting of a hydrated muck-sand suspension. Stagnation of the water flow, disturbance by man or cattle and periods of very rapid flow result in reduced population densities. Other species, notably Murdannia keisak, stabilize the soil, shade, and probably compete with Sagittaria for nutrients. Weeded plots of Sagittaria show increased numbers of plants and increased flower production. Weeding, therefore, may prove a valuable tool in managing preserves for S. fasciculata.

Ginseng is an ancient plant, both in terms of its evolutionary history and its history of use by humans. It has recently been the subject of a revival of interest in its properties and economic potential. A review of the literature and some of the current questions about its taxonomy and efficacy is certainly in order, and James A. Duke is surely qualified to conduct such a review.