Volume 67 — Issue 4 (Dec 2002)

Morphometric and Genetic Variation in Eriocaulon koernickianum Van Heurck & Muller-Argoviensis (Eriocaulaceae): a Disjunct Plant Species of the Southeastern United States

ABSTRACT Morphometric and genetic variation were assessed in populations of Eriocaulon koernickianum Van Heurck & Muller-Argoviensis, an uncommon species that is disjunct between the southern Appalachian and the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, and adjacent regions. The eastern populations possessed smaller and fewer leaves and flowering scapes than the western populations. However, no discontinuities in floral morphology were apparent between populations from the two geographic regions. Furthermore, little genetic variation or divergence, as measured by isozymes, was observed within or among populations, suggesting that a genetic bottleneck occurred in the recent past in this predominantly-outcrossing species. The limited genetic variation suggests that simple vicariance and contemporary long distance seed dispersal are unlikely, and instead that fragmentation and recolonization (perhaps following the Pleistocene epoch) may explain the current biogeography.

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Vascular Flora of Yalobusha County, Mississippi

ABSTRACT Yalobusha County, located in the north-central portion of Mississippi, consists of 130,535 hectares. Vascular plants were collected and documented between August 1998 and April 2001. A total of 805 species is documented, representing 414 genera and 133 families. Poaceae is the largest family (11.3%), followed by Asteraceae (10.6%) and Cyperaceae (9.0%). One hundred eighteen species can be considered exotic. A new state record, the fern Deparia petersenii, is reported. Eight state-listed species, Scleria reticularis (S1), Carex stricta (S2), Celastrus scandens (S2/S3), Chelone glabra (S3), Matelea carolinensis (S3), Panax quinquefolium (S3), Staphylea trifolia (S3), and Muhlenbergia sylvatica (SU) are reported. Voucher specimens of each species are deposited at Delta State University (DSC).

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Infraspecific Systematics of Alnus maritima (Betulaceae) from Three Widely Disjunct Provenances

ABSTRACT Two new subspecies of Alnus maritima, A. maritima subsp. oklahomensis from south-central Oklahoma and A. maritima subsp. georgiensis from northwestern Georgia, are described based on differences in growth habit, leaf and fruit morphology, and geographic isolation. The two new subspecies, along with subsp. maritima found in Maryland and Delaware on the Delmarva Peninsula, formalize the infraspecific classification of three widely disjunct populations of A. maritima, which have undergone considerable divergence since their isolation. Numerical analyses of 23 characters of mature trees from natural sites and 22 characters of seedlings grown in a uniform environment revealed many differences and allowed the determination of relative taxonomic distances between subspecies. Our examination of morphology, growth habit, distribution, and habitat of the three subspecies also rendered a plausible explanation for the peculiar disjunct occurrence of A. maritima.

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Violaceae of the Southeastern United States

ABSTRACT Keys and descriptions are presented for the two genera and 33 taxa of the Violaceae of the southeastern United States. Hybanthus is represented by one species. Viola is represented by 25 species, two additional subspecies, and five varieties. In addition to taxonomic descriptions and habitat information, the range of each species within the southeast as well as adjacent states and beyond is provided. A cross referencing of nomenclature with pertinent floras is included.

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Vegetation Composition, Structure, and Diversity Patterns of Two Dry Sandstone Barrens in Southern Illinois

ABSTRACT Vegetation at two dry sandstone barrens in Pope County, Illinois was sampled to provide baseline data on composition, structure, diversity, and species-abundance patterns for comparison with vegetational changes resulting from applications of prescribed fire. Permanent plots were established at both sites. Data were collected from canopy, subcanopy/shrub, and ground-cover strata. One site, Gibbons Creek Barrens, is the fire treatment site while the other, Forest Service Barrens, serves as a fire-free control site. The vegetation at these barrens remnants is similar in many regards facilitating their use as treatment and control units for experimental study of fire effects. Both sites are dominated strongly in the canopy by Quercus stellata Wangh. The subcanopy shrub/sapling stratum is dominated by Ulmus alata Michx.; however, several other taxa are common to occasional. Size-class distribution of over-story trees suggests a pattern of change characterized by stand closure as recruitment of Quercus stellata and Ulmus alata

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