Volume 80 - Issue 3 (Sept 2015)

Noteworthy Collections: Haiti and the Dominican Republic

The four collections listed below were made over the past decade by the second author on several fieldtrips in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 1. Miconia domingensis Cogn. (MELASTOMATACEAE)– HAITI—Dept. du Sud: Pen´ınsula de Tibur ´ on, Form´ on, Bois Cavalier, 2. Miconia limoides (Urb.) Majure & Judd (MELASTOMATACEAE)–HAITI—Dept. du Sud: Pen´ınsula de Tibur´ on, Form´ on, Bois Cavalier, al suroeste de Kay Michel, 18.32980568N, 74.02736118W; elev. 1,100 m; 2 February 2006, T. Clase 4132 (FLAS, JBSD). 3. Calycogonium domatiatum Urb. & Ekman (MELASTOMATACEAE)–DOMINICAN REPUBLIC— Prov. Bahoruco: Sierra de Neiba, Municipio Neiba, Secci ´on El Aguacate, lugar denominado Mazocolin, Bosque nublado con arboles viejos de hasta 25 m de altura, y abundantes helechos arb ´ oreos, con: Schefflera tremula, Meliosma impressa, Brunellia comocladiifolia, Chionanthus domingensis, Cyathea spp., Alsophila spp., Laplacea sp., etc.; elev. 2003 m; 29 April 2014, T. Clase 8605, with T. Montilla, L. Familia, R. Morillo, and N.

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Scientific Note: Aldrovanda vesiculosa at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia

ABSTRACT Aldrovanda vesiculosa L., a free-floating aquatic carnivorous plant native to the Old World, has been documented from several ponds and connecting wetlands at U.S. Army Garrison, Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County, Virginia. This species is believed to have been introduced from a nearby cultivated population, and has spread rapidly throughout many of Fort A.P. Hill’s acidic wetlands, which is surprising given Aldrovanda’s extreme rarity in its native Old World habitats. The unusual biological vigor of this species at Fort A.P. Hill warrants closer attention from the regional scientific community because very little is known about this species’ behavior in North America, the effects on local trophic dynamics, and its short- and long-term interactions with native species. With limited information available, it is difficult to predict to what extent Aldrovanda will influence the natural ecosystem and how this species should be managed. One of Fort A.P. Hill’s early objectives

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A Quarter-Century of Change Without Fire: The High-Elevation Pitch Pine Community on Panther Knob, Pendleton County, West Virginia

ABSTRACT The Panther Knob Preserve is important in the Central Appalachians because it is the region’s largest high-elevation pitch pine (Pinus rigida) community, containing numerous rare and threatened plants and animals. Plant community structure and evidence of fire in 2008 were quantified to (a) document successional changes since 1985, and (b) test the hypothesis of pitch pine regeneration failure without recent fire. Diameter at breast height (dbh) of trees and percent cover of plants within 19 plots, each 20 3 20 m, were measured. Increment borings were used to estimate stand age, and evidence of fire, such as bark charring and soil charcoal, was recorded. Mineral soil from the top 10 cm was collected to evaluate the connection between soil characteristics and plant composition. Cluster analysis of percent cover values identified four plant community types. Diameter distributions, age structure, and the presence of only seven seedlings indicated little recent pine

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A Vascular Flora of the Eckerd College Palm Hammock Nature Area: A Dredge and Fill Site in Pinellas County, Florida

ABSTRACT A study of the vascular plants of the Palm Hammock Nature Area, a designated natural area on the west side of the Eckerd College campus in Pinellas County, Florida, was carried out between January 2012 and January 2013. The site is situated entirely on dredged fill soil, rendering it an intriguing site on which to study natural succession. This floristic inventory provides baseline data on the species composition at the site for use in future studies of the Palm Hammock and other forested dredge and fill sites. A total of 157 vascular species were collected from the 4.6 ha site, including 155 angiosperms. Of these, 99 species are native to North America, and 58 species are not native. Of the nonnative species, 20 are considered invasive. The most frequently represented families included Asteraceae (18), Fabaceae (18), Poaceae (14), and Cyperaceae (11). The Palm Hammock Nature Area, which comprises small

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Decadal Changes in Disjunct Eastern Hemlock Stands at Its Southern Range Boundary

Species distribution modelling has revealed shifts in the spatial distribution of the range of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carri`ere) in eastern North America. Models project a decline in eastern hemlock at the southern portion of its range, but not contraction of the southern boundary. In 2003, the vertical, horizontal, and diameter structure and diameter-age relationships of eastern hemlock were quantified in 10 stands thought to represent the species’ 10 southernmost stands on the Cumberland Plateau in Alabama. In 2013, we resurveyed these stands to document changes in stand characteristics over the past decade. In addition, we explored additional reaches of stream corridors known to support eastern hemlock to document additional stands previously undescribed in the literature. Results from our resampling revealed that stands had similar stem frequencies over the 10-yr period, but, generally, the number of canopy stems and the number of seedlings declined. The decline in seedlings may

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A Floristic Inventory and Vegetation Survey of Three Dolomite Prairies in Northeastern Illinois

Dolomite prairies are rare natural plant communities, with a few high-quality examples in northeastern Illinois. In this study, three dolomite prairies located in southwestern Will County, Illinois, were surveyed to assess species composition and quality. Two of the dolomite prairies were located on the Des Plaines Wildlife Conservation Area (i.e., Blodgett Road Dolomite Prairie Natural Area and Grant Creek Nature Preserve) and the third in the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (i.e., Exxon Mobil Natural Area). Overall, a total of 438 taxa were recorded: 318 at Blodgett Road, 255 at Exxon Mobil, and 270 at Grant Creek, with 129 common to them all. Of these, 97 were mesic or wet prairie species, 26 were nonnative taxa, and six were native woody species. Three state endangered and two state threatened species were found associated with these dolomite prairies. The Blodgett Road site was dominated by the annual grass Sporobolus vaginiflorus, along with

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Ann Bartholomew Award: 2015 Recipient — Patricia B Cox.

Dr. Patricia B. Cox was given the Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award during the 2015 annual meeting of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society (SABS) held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in conjunction with the Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB). This award represents an untiring, unselfish, and enthusiastic professional and public work and service that brings botanical knowledge and understanding to students, peers, and the public. This year’s award recipient is the embodiment of this award. Pat Cox hails from Louisiana where she earned her B.S. and M.S. in Biology from University of Louisiana at Monroe. Her M.S. research was a floristic study of Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, under the direction of R. Dale Thomas. It was during this time, while she was working under one of the most prolific plant collectors in the southeast, that Pat broadened her knowledge of field botany throughout the Southeast. Pat received a Ph.D. in Botany from Louisiana State

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