Volume 59 – Issue 4 (Dec 1994)

Helianthus eggertii Small is a little known rare species closely associated with the Interior Low Plateaus Province. It is a distinct hexaploid species closely allied with Helianthus strumosus L., from which it can be distinguished by its blue-glaucous shoots with leaves glabrous, sessile, and single-veined. The taxon has been documented in 13 counties, with most of the 26 known populations clustered in just three physiographic regions in Kentucky and Tennessee; 20 of these populations are newly located. Less than half of the known sites contain large, reproducing populations. The primary habitats are open barrens or open oak-hickory woodlands with a high species richness of native associates. The populations occur on rolling to flat topography, on well drained, shallow, acidic soils, over a substrate of Mississippian limestones. In most populations, the seed set is moderate, but the principle means of reproduction appears to be by an extensive rhizome system. The primary threat to this species appears to be loss of the “barrens” habitats through removal of fire and subsequent competition and succession.

The vascular flora occurring in the intertidal zone of Brent Marsh was surveyed during 1987-94. The muddy-peaty deposits that form the tidal shoreline of Brent Marsh lie in fresh to brackish waters of the Potomac River in Stafford County, Virginia. The microhabitats present in the intertidal zone of Brent Marsh were found to support a large diversity of primarily herbaceous species. One hundred twenty-one taxa are reported, of which five are endemic to the rare fresh to brackish intertidal habitat characteristic of large tidal river systems in the Chesapeake drainage.

This paper includes a list of 339 native and introduced Tennessee grass taxa. Records are from herbaria at the authors’ institutions, six other universities and colleges, and six other collections. Appropriate literature also is used. Extraneous and intraneous floristic elements are identified, and their distributional patterns are discussed and related to Tennessee’s physiographic-floristic regions.

Noteworthy Collections: Georgia and Ohio

The seed surface morphology of Portulaca halimoides and P. suffrutescens is illustrated. Chromosome counts for the following species are provided: P. halimoides 2n = 18, P. smallii 2n = 18, P. amilis 2n = 18, P. rubricaulis 2n = 16, P. suffrutescens 2n = 8, and P. grandiflora 2n = 18. These data along with comments on morphology provide the documentation of characteristics needed to describe the species and write the key for the genus. A summary of trends in variability in the genus is given.

Rudbeckia subg. Macrocline subg. nov. includes three species complexes: the first comprises the three species of rayless coneflowers (R. alpicola, R. montana, and R. occidentalis); the second contains six radiate species with distributions in the southeastern United States (R. auriculata, R. maxima, R. mohrii, R. nitida, R. scabrifolia, and R. texana); and the third includes the three radiate species restricted to California and Oregon (R. californica, R. glaucescens, and R. klamathensis nom. nov.). The taxa of R. subg. Macrocline are characterized by strongly cone-shaped receptacles, bright yellow ray corollas, ray florets lacking paleae (ray flowers absent in three species), glaucous stems, persistent basal leaves, disk paleae not surpassing the achenes, foliaceous involucral bracts in two or more series, a chromosome complement of n = 18, and distributions in the southeastern and western United States. Descriptions of each taxon and a taxonomic key for the subgenus is provided.

These are the first two volumes of a project which will extend into the early part of the next century. The Flora of North America (FNA) effort is extremely noteworthy for several reasons. Though the main points of significance may be known to most readers, they bear repeating here.

We have just crossed over some magical line. I have the distinct honor of being your first elected two-term president in a period when we have just changed our name (to SABS) and broadened our scope (to eastern North America) after more than fifty-eight years as an organization. I have probably attended more of our semi-annual Council meetings than anyone else in the past 12 years (I think I have missed two). Often my only job was to set up the coffee pot; but in reality I have been exposed to all of the thoughts, problems, arguments, and resolutions of over a decade of modern SABS business. I hope I will be able to make good decisions and bring into focus critical issues as we move ahead in what appears to be an increasingly stronger organization. There was a time when I did not understand some of our involvements and dreams; I do not claim to know all of them better at this point. I do know now however, for example, that after being privileged to attend the Great Smoky Mountain Wildflower Pilgrimage this past April, and seeing the enthusiasm of over 900 attendees and 50 dedicated leaders from all over eastern North America, I am surer than ever of the value of SABS support for such an endeavor that touches so many people in a way that would make our botanical ancestors proud.