Volume 71 — Issue 1 (Mar 2006)

Isoetes melanopoda, a diploid species of ephemeral prairie wetland swales primarily in central North America, has also been found in swamp forests over a wide area of eastern North America in recent years. Determination of certain morphological and ecological characteristics (leaf width, habitat preference, leaf base color, megaspore ornamentation pattern, and megaspore size) distinguishes two population groupings within the species range that maintain discreet geographic distributions and thus represent distinct taxa. Most populations of these two eastern and western taxa are distinctive enough to argue for identification as separate species within I. melanopoda (s.l.). The existence of some apparently intermediate populations within a transition zone between the two taxa and the absence of stand-alone diagnostic identification features, however, indicates that a subspecific level of distinction is more appropriate. Isoetes melanopoda subsp. silvatica, subsp. nov., is proposed for the previously unnamed eastern taxon.

A surge in the collection of exotic Marsilea, M. mutica, M. minuta and M. hirsuta in the southeastern United States has prompted the need for updated identification aids. This study provides an annotated key to all water-clover ferns occurring in the region. It describes and illustrates recently documented exotic species and a previously misidentified western introduction. It details the rediscovery of M. ancylopoda, presumed extinct, and confirms its identification as the western species M. oligospora. Finally it clarifies the status and distribution of two additional western North American species introduced to the southeast, M. vestita and M. macropoda.

In the eastern United States, in contrast to the American West, the genus Yucca (Agavaceae) is represented by few native species. The Spanish-dagger or Spanish-bayonet (Yucca aloifolia L.), with its erect, usually unbranched stems and unique stiffly spreading, rough-margined leaves, occurs widely along the maritime coasts and at scattered locations inland. The much less common Mound-lily Yucca (Yucca gloriosa L.), with forked stems and smooth brown-margined leaves, is restricted to coastal dunes from Virginia into northeastern Florida (Ward 2004a). A distinct third form, usually interpreted to consist of two species, is characterized by leaves borne only at the base of the plant with their margins bearing loose, semi-detached, stiffly curved fibers. Although members of this third group in eastern Virginia have been called “Silkgrass” (Fernald 1944) and botanical texts have occasionally assigned them the name “Beargrass” (Chapman 1860, Trelease 1902) or the improbable label of “Adam’s needle,” these distinctive basal-leaved, filiferous plants are almost invariably known simply as ‘Yucca.”

The vascular flora was studied and plant habitats described within an abandoned limestone quarry contiguous to Center Hill Dam in DeKalb County, central Tennessee, between 1986-2000. From seven diverse quarry habitats, 282 species in 203 genera and 81 families were documented. One hundred sixty-two species (57.4%) are DeKalb County distribution records. Sixty-four (22.7%) are exotic taxa including 22 Tennessee “severe threat” and “significant threat” invasive exotic pests. The known vascular flora includes five Pteridophytes, three Gymnosperms, and 273 Angiosperms (69 Monocots, 205 Dicots). Two state-listed species were discovered: Elymus svensonii and Liparis loeselii. Carex molesta is reported here as a new addition to the Tennessee flora

A large population of the globally rare shrub Buckleya distichophylla occurs on Poor Mountain, Roanoke County, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Plot data were taken to characterize the forests associated with this rare shrub. Cluster analysis identified three forest types based on overstory com position: mixed hardwoods, Quercus prinus and Pinus pungens. Ordination and discriminant analyses showed that B. distichophylla was associated with xeric sites dominated by P. pungens with a thick layer of ericaceous shrubs. The evidence of past fires and the abundance of fire-intolerant trees, e.g., Nyssa sylvatica, in the understory suggest that the forests are slowly succeeding in the absence of periodic fires. Advance regeneration of P. pungens may not be adequate to perpetuate its current dominance on xeric sites. Buckleya distichophylla is an integral component of the pine-oak/heath woodland natural community on Poor Mountain and may be more of a fire-adapted species than previously thought.

A two-year floristic survey of the 7,690-ha Pushmataha Wildlife Management Area (PWMA) located in the Kiamichi Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma revealed the known vascular flora to comprise 447 species in 287 genera and 97 families. The four largest families-Poaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Cyperaceae-compose 43.4% of the flora. The largest genera are Carex, Juncus, Dichanthelium, Desmodium, and Lespedeza. Native species account for 92.8% of the taxa. Three introduced species appear to be naturalizing in the area: Elaeagnus angustifolia, Lespedeza cuneata, and Sorghum halepense. Thirteen species designated as rare by the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory were encountered: Dulichium arundinaceum, Justicia ovata var. lanceolata, Brachyelytrum erectum, Calamovilfa arcuata, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Smilax smallii, Ilex opaca, Ribes cynosbati, Tilia americana var. caroliniana, Polygala polygama, Carex oxylepis, Carex oklahomensis, and Mitchella repens.

In the last 5 years several wildflower guides have been published for states or regions in the southeastern United States. Some of these have been typical “popular” guides, with plants organized by flower color, and coverage of under 1,000 species. These guides often include abbreviated descriptions to accompany the color photographs, and may also include a variety of additional material, such as a basic glossary and illustrations of terms, family descriptions, an overview of natural regions, and discussions of rare species and weeds. Other guides, such as the one under review here, have taken a broader aim. These kinds of guides are more typical of regions that do not have a current overall treatment of the vascular plants, and include many “extras” that appeal not only to the layperson but to the professional as well.

Carex roanensis is a globally rare species endemic in moderate to high elevation forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains. All known collections were reviewed, including previously unpublished records from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and an annotated distribution map is presented. A preliminary assessment of its ecological affinities is provided, especially with respect to the closely related C. aestivalis and C. virescens.

This little book, edited by Steve Kemp, contains a wealth of information on the plants used by the Cherokee of western North Carolina in the mid-twentieth century. The information was gathered by William Banks in the early 1950s, while he was working on his M.S. degree at the University of Tennessee under Dr. Aaron Sharp. In order to document the traditional uses of local plants, he lived on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in western North Carolina for a period of three months, and developed a network of over a dozen informants.