Noteworthy Collections: North Carolina Observations on the Invasive Cayratia japonica (Vitaceae) in North Carolina, Including Six New Records for the State
Noteworthy Collections: North Carolina Observations on the Invasive Cayratia japonica (Vitaceae) in North Carolina, Including Six New Records for the State
Twenty species of Desmodium and three species of Hylodesmum occur in Alabama. Of these, all are native except D. tortuosum, which is introduced from tropical America. The most common species are D. paniculatum and H. nudiflorum. The least common species are D. floridanum and D. fernaldii. Desmodium ochroleucum, which has a global rank of G2G3 and a state rank of S2, was known from seven extant populations from five counties in 2003. Results from this study identified four additional populations from Butler, Monroe, Montgomery, and Wilcox Counties, all of which are county records. Dichotomous keys and descriptions were generated based on morphological features of the vegetative and reproductive structures of the more than 1,000 specimens studied during this project. Data for the county-level distribution maps were compiled entirely from herbaria vouchers.
Vegetation of the Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Preserve in Will County, Illinois, was studied during the growing seasons of 2004 and 2005. Located in the northeastern part of the Kankakee sand deposits, this site is a small remnant of sand prairie and sand savanna vegetation that once contained extensive marsh, wet, mesic, and dry sand prairie communities. The dry sand prairie was dominated by Schizachyrium scoparium with an Importance Value (IV) of 33.3 (200 possible) followed by Opuntia humifusa and Dichanthelium villosissimum with IV’s of 23.9 and 20.3, respectively. In the dry-mesic sand prairie Solidago nemoralis (IV of 24.7) and Schizachyrium scoparium (IV of 23.8) were co-dominant. Two distinct ground layer communities were encountered in the dry-mesic sand savanna, one dominated by Pteridium aquilinum, and one where this species was absent. The dominant overstory species was Quercus velutina along with a few individuals of Q. alba. Woody overstory averaged 188.1 stems/ha, with a basal area of 15.57 m2/ha. A few small sedge meadows occurred in the Preserve. Carex stricta dominated these sedge meadows with an IV of 44.5, with Helianthus grosseserratus, Thelypteris palustris, and Galium obtusum also common. A total of 448 vascular plant taxa were found on the Preserve, 13 fern and fern-allies, one gymnosperm, 120 monocots, and 314 dicots. Fifty-four exotic taxa were encountered, representing about 13% of the species found.
We report the results of an inventory of the vascular plants at the J.T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. We collected a total of 597 taxa in 358 genera and 118 families. The greatest number of species were from Asteraceae (87), Poaceae (66), and Fabaceae (44). Ninety-one species of woody plants were present. Seventy-two non-native species were present representing 12.1% of the flora. Species present that are tracked by the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory were Brachyelytrum erectum, Brasenia schreberi, Carex cephalophora, C. oklahomensis, C. oxylepis, Clematis virginiana, Cypripedium parviflorum var. parviflorum, Impatiens pallida, Iris cristata, Phaseolus polystachios, Physocarpus opulifolius var. intermedius, Silene regia, and Tradescantia ernestiana. This study reports the first records for Glyceria acutiflora and Microstegium vimineum (Poaceae) from Oklahoma.
The 590 ha Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve in Mason County, Illinois contains remnant dry sand prairies, sand savanna, sand forest, and successional fields. Purchased in 1969, the abandoned agricultural fields have been allowed to re-vegetate naturally. The vegetation of a mature dry sand prairie was compared with two successional fields, one 60- and one 30-years-old. The mature dry sand prairie was dominated by Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Dichanthelium villosissimum (hairy panic grass), Tephrosia virginiana (goat’s-rue), Ambrosia psilostachya (western ragweed), and Opuntia humifusa (common pricklypear). Eragrostis trichodes (sand love grass) dominated the 60-year-old successional fields. The 30-year-old successional field was dominated by Eragrostis trichodes, Strophostyles helvula (wild bean), and Monarda punctata (horsemint). A total of 393 vascular plant species were documented for the preserve.
Noteworthy Collections: Dominican Republic
This soft cover book is a field guide to 20 outstanding wildflower trails on public lands in Georgia. All regions of the state are featured from the mountains through the piedmont to the coastal barrier islands.
Author Kristin Johannsen, in her intriguing book, Ginseng Dreams, has set out to chronicle her 4-year odyssey to search out “the truth about ginseng.”
The Editorial Committee gratefully acknowledges and thanks the following people who reviewed manuscripts for Castanea during 2007.