Volume 75 - Issue 1 (March 2010)

For the enthusiasts of natural history and general southern history as well as professionals in those fields, Shores has produced a must-read in the title
above. Through her work, the author has provided a window into the life and career of Roland M. Harper. In summary of his accomplishments, the author suggested that in addition to the several plant species named by Harper, possibly his greatest
achievements was his early advocacy of wetland preservation and the necessary role of fire to maintain some ecosystems, most notably longleaf pine communities. Both of these ideas were very unpopular or unheard of when Harper promoted them, thus making him a ‘‘pioneer.’’

Eleocharis melanocarpa Torr. (CYPERACEAE)—Bienville Parish: Sandylands NE of
Piney Woods Road (PR 676), 0.8 km E of bridge over Kepler Creek Lake; NE1/4 SE1/4 S30 & NW1/4 SW1/4 S29, T16N R7W; lat/long: 32u209330N, 93u079040W. Two patches on margin
of ephemeral sand pond growing in shade with dappled sunlight; pond dominated by
Nyssa biflora Walter and Persea palustris (Raf.) Sarg.; canopy open in center where Juncus repens Michx. is abundant. 16 April 2008, Reid 6458 with Faulkner (LSU, NCU, TEX-LL). Same locality, three patches found in dry sandy soil on edge of pond which was dominated by Nyssa biflora with much Juncus repens in the deepest part. 22 May 2008, Reid 6577 (LSU, NCU, TEXLL). Same locality, three patches found in dry sand on margins of Nyssa biflora depression, growing in shade to sun, most robust in sunny
openings. 9 July 2008, Reid 6644 with Faulkner & Jones (CIIDIR, LSU, NCU, NO, TEX-LL).

Portulaca amilis Speg. (PORTULACACEAE)—Lowndes County: Columbus, in a weedy, infrequently mowed lawn directly along the east roadside at 2120 US Highway
45/ State Road 50 (N33 31.379, W88 26.135), about 50 yards north of the intersection with Hospital Drive; 17 Aug. 2008, Maggie Whitson 2008-0002 with Mona and Jim Whitson (KNK).

ABSTRACT Although the Appalachian Mountains of southwestern Virginia, United States,
are known to represent a major ‘hotspot’ of biodiversity for North America, no significant survey of overall lichen diversity has been conducted in the region thus far. Presented here is a list of 221 distinct taxa of lichens, lichenicolous fungi, and ‘lichen allies’ collected during the 2008 Hugo L. Blomquist Bryological and Lichenological Foray in the mountains of southwestern Virginia. Collections were made from diverse habitats, primarily in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (MRNRA), and yielded 41 potential state records. Particularly noteworthy collections include: Sphaerellothecium coniodes (a lichenicolous fungus that was not previously known to exist in North America), Hypotrachyna lividescens (a primarily neotropical
macrolichen that has not previously been reported from North America), Pycnora praestabilis (a lignicolous crust not previously reported from any other location in eastern North America), Heterodermia erecta (a foliose lichen previously known in the world only from a single small region of Georgia/North Carolina), and Psilolechia clavulifera (a crustose lichen taxon previously reported from only one other location in eastern North America). The sheer diversity of lichens, along with the number of rare and/or potentially endangered taxa, highlights the need for continued preservation efforts in MRNRA and the southern Appalachian Mountains in general.

ABSTRACT The vascular flora of the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area (NCCG) was studied during three growing seasons from 2006 to 2008. NCCG is located in Hamilton and Sequatchie Counties, Tennessee, on the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau. Within the study area are 2,862 ha of eastern deciduous forest that contains 12 distinct habitat types. A survey of these habitat types yielded 110 families, 329 genera, and 604 species or lesser taxa, including 238 county records. Seventy-six introduced species were found, comprising 13% of the total flora. Eleven species with either a state or federal listing were documented: Castanea dentata, Diervilla lonicera, Diervilla rivularis, Glyceria acutifolia, Nestronia umbellula, Spiraea virginiana, Scutellaria montana, Sabatia capitata, Woodwardia virginica, Panax quinquefolium, and Viola tripartita. A species-area curve for the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee was constructed from the current study and seven other similar studies of the plateau. Three family level species-area linear regression lines were also constructed, demonstrating that the natural area reaches or exceeds expectations for Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Cyperaceae.

ABSTRACT Blackland prairies are a globally imperiled, rare plant community only recently discovered in central Georgia. A floristic inventory was conducted on six remnant blackland
prairie sites within Oaky Woods Wildlife Management Area, 12 km southeast of Warner Robins. The 43 ha site complex yielded 351 species in 219 genera and 89 families. Four species
new to Georgia were documented. According to several state and federal rankings, twenty-three rare plant species occur within the study area; these include one federally endangered species (Silene catesbaei) and one candidate for federal listing (Symphyotrichum georgianum). Twelve plant communities are described. The inventory supported the designation of a new ecological association, the Georgia Eocene chalk prairie. Maps of the study area and photographs of the prairies and rare plants are provided

ABSTRACT Temperature drives ecosystem function and can be estimated from potential solar irradiation (the surface angle of the Earth in relationship to the sun). However, indirect topographical proxies (i.e., aspect) are often used in lieu of direct temperature estimates; and temperature models based on potential solar irradiation typically omit elevation, a key parameter in temperature estimation. Using temperature data (2002–04) from regional weather stations and field sites in the southern Appalachian region of North Carolina and north Georgia, I test the efficacy of temperature estimations based on potential solar irradiation and present a simple method to improve such estimations by incorporating elevational temperature gradients. The heat load index, which weighs afternoon sun as more integral to heat generation than morning sun, fits actual weather station and field site temperatures better than solar angle alone. However, in all years and data sets, adjusting the heat load index for elevational substantially improves

This field should be left blank or used for Abstract ABSTRACT Miscanthus sinens is a C4grass, is an emerging invasive species in open and edge habitats throughout the eastern United States. To assess its ability to invade forest understories, we examined photosynthetic responses of Miscanthus sinensis grown under natural light gradients(5% to 100% full sunlight). Although there was a slight reduction in reproductive output under lower light, Miscanthus sinensiswas able to maintain high rates of photosynthesis and positive carbon gain along the entire light gradient.