Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas

Subspecies classification of Hydrilla verticillata (Hydrocharitaceae)

Nicholas P. Tippery — 2023-11-15

Hydrilla verticillata is a globally distributed aquatic plant and one of the most noxious aquatic weeds in the U.S.A. Phylogenetic evidence has shown that plants in different geographic regions are largely isolated, and there are morphological features that can distinguish the five major phylogenetic groups. Hydrilla plants in the U.S.A. have been identified as monoecious or dioecious biotypes, with each biotype having distinctive morphology and molecular sequence data. However, the recent discovery of a third invasive biotype in the northeastern U.S.A. has prompted the need for precise nomenclature that can refer to Hydrilla plants in the native and non-native range of this widespread species. New subspecific names and combinations are proposed in order to enable effective communication about the five major phylogenetic variants of Hydrilla verticillata. Two subspecies names are made as new combinations of existing species names: Hydrilla verticillata subsp. angustifolia and Hydrilla verticillata subsp. lithuanica, and two subspecies names are newly established: Hydrilla verticillata subsp. australis and Hydrilla verticillata subsp. peregrina.

Diversity across the border: Genetic study of a highly disjunct occurrence of the U.S. federally-endangered plant species Physaria thamnophila, Brassicaceae (Zapata bladderpod) discovered in Mexico

Brian E. Sedio — 2023-11-15

Taxonomy, genetics and biogeography each make key contributions to biological conservation. However, integrating these disciplines to obtain a coherent account of the status of a taxon of concern not always straightforward. This is the case for the cross-border endemic plant Physaria thamnophila (Brassicaceae). This US federally-listed endangered species is restricted to a set of unique geological sites just north of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo del Norte) river in south Texas, USA. A single highly-disjunct occurrence of this species is found on a geologically and ecologically distinct site 260 km to the south, in Tamaulipas, Mexico. In this work, we quantify the genetic differentiation between the U.S. and Mexican populations using four microsatellite markers and sequences from three nuclear genes. In both sets of data, we find a high level of genetic divergence consistent with geographic isolation on a time scale of 1–2.5 million years. Further, we provide a hypothesis for the geological basis of this geographic isolation. Integrating our data with ecological, taxonomic and conservation considerations, we propose the sub-specific designation of Physaria thamnophila subsp. loretensis for the Mexican population. The evolutionary and conservation implications of this designation are presented.

New combinations in Asarum (Aristolochiaceae) for two recently described Hexastylis species

Alvin R. Diamond — 2023-11-15

New combinations in the genus Asarum are proposed for Hexastylis finzelii B.R. Keener and Hexastylis rollinsiae B.R. Keener & Todia, two species recently described from Alabama. Asarum finzelii (B.R. Keener) Diamond and Asarum rollinsiae (B.R. Keener & Todia) Diamond, comb. nov., provide names for these species in Asarum.

Una especie nueva de Clibadium (Asteraceae: Heliantheae) para Costa Rica

Alexánder Rodríguez — 2023-11-15

A new species of Clibadium L. endemic to Costa Rica is described and illustrated: C. ramirezii Al.Rodr. Similarities and differences with related species are discussed.

Microlicia crenatifolia (Melastomatacae), a new species from the westernmost limits of the Diamantina Plateau, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Ricardo Pacifico — 2023-11-15

Microlicia crenatifolia is described from the Diamantina Plateau, a well-known hotspot of plant endemism in southeastern Brazil. It can be recognized by its small leaves (up to 8.3 mm long) that are conspicuously crenulate to slightly serrate, short floral pedicels (0.7–1.0 mm long), and linear calyx lobes that are externally glandular-punctate and covered with short gland-tipped trichomes 0.1–0.3 mm long. We provide line drawings, SEM photos of leaves, seeds and indumentum, a distribution map, and an identification key to M. crenatifolia and putative relatives (M. canastrensis, M. pabstii, M. serratifolia, and M. thomazii).

Reviewers for Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Volume 17, 2023

Barney Lipscomb — 2023-11-15

Reviewers for the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Volume 17: Abbott, J. Richard—Ackerfield, Jennifer—Allen, Geraldine—Almeida, Odair José Garcia de—Barrett, Russell—Bennett, Bradley C.—Briggler, Malissa—Brokaw, Joshua M.—Carter, Richard—Cohen, James—Costea, Mihai—Cripps, Cathy—Dillon, Michael O.—Franck, Alan R.—Fuentes, Sara—Gandhi, Kanchi—Goldenberg, Renato—Gostel, Morgan—Graham, Shirley A.—Gustafson, Mark P.—Hansen, Bruce F.—Harrower, Emma—Hellenthal, Barbara J.—Hernández, Alexis López—Higinio Sandoval-Ortega, Manuel—Holmgren, Pat—Howard, Rebecca—Keeley, Sterling—Keith, Eric—Lance, Ron—Lavin, Matt—Lemke, David E.—Loeuille, Benoit—McPherson, Gordon—Moore, Gerry—O’Kane, Steven—Pandey, Arun—Peterson, Paul—Pfingsten, Ian—Philley, Kevin—Rosen, David—Serviss, Brett—Singhurst, Jason—Sinn, Brandon T.—Soreng, Robert—Soteropoulos, Diana L.—Sperry, Ben—Stapf, María S. de —Staples, George—Stuessy, Tod—Sullivan, Heather—Sundell, Eric—Ulloa, Carmen—Van Kley, James E.—Versiane, Ana Flávia Alves—Walsh, Neville.

Reinterpretation of the mid-Cretaceous fossil flower Endobeuthos paleosum as a capitular, unisexual inflorescence of Proteaceae

Kenton L. Chambers — 2023-11-15

The Myanmar amber fossil Endobeuthos paleosum was originally described as composed of an individual flower with a calyx of numerous, helically arranged sepals, a whorl of petals, and 60+ stamens each bearing a single bisporangiate anther. The 6 flowers, embedded together in a single block of amber, were described as varying in their calyx pubescence and length of corolla segments. The numerous stamens, with their single anther, led to a hypothesized relationship with certain members of family Dilleniaceae. We now propose a complete reinterpretation of this fossil as being an involucrate capitulum of family Proteaceae, in which the numerous “stamens” are identified instead as staminate flowers, although of reduced and highly modified morphology. Organs previously called the calyx and corolla are instead a series of helically-arranged bracts that surround the tight cluster of flowers. The Proteaceae being a diverse and significant element in Southern Hemisphere floras, the reinterpretation of Endobeuthos is important in providing the first Cretaceous fossil flower identified for the family, dated at some 20 my younger than the proposed Proteaceae crown group age of 119 Mya.

Index to Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Volume 17, 2023

Barney Lipscomb — 2023-11-15

Index to Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Volume 17 includes a title index, an author index, botanical names and subject index, and an index to new names and new combinations.

Flora of North America North of Mexico, Volume 11, Magnoliophyta: Fabaceae

Barney Lipscomb — 2023-11-15

Flora of North America North of Mexico, Volume 11, is a two volume work. Part 1. Subfamilies Cercidoideae, Detarioideae, Caesalpinioideae, and Faboideae, Tribes Sophoreae to Loteae and Part 2. Subfamily Faboideae, Tribes Robinieae to Fabeae

Flora of North America North of Mexico, Volume 14, Magnoliophyta: Gentianaceae to Hydroleaceae

Barney Lipscomb — 2023-11-15

Flora of North America North of Mexico Volume 14: Magnoliophyta: Gentianaceae to Hydroleaceae includes treatments for Gentianaceae, Loganiaceae, Gelsemiaceae, Apocynaceae, Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae, Sphenocleaceae, and Hydroleaceae.

Wild DFW: Explore the Amazing Nature in and Around Dallas-Fort Worth

Harold W. Keller — 2023-11-15

Wild DFW explores the natural wonders of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and highlights a paradise of places, plants, and animals if you know where to look for them. The book begins with Natural History and Ecology divided up into one- or two-page vignettes titled Wild Dallas-Fort Worth, East-West, Natural Dallas, Natural Fort Worth. Each area is described in general ecological terms without giving the scientific names of the plants and animals but leaving the reader with a sense of wonder of native prairies, forests, and riparian habitats.

Seaweeds of the World: A Guide to Every Order

Ashley Bales — 2023-11-15

From the Publisher: Seaweeds are astoundingly diverse. They’re found along the shallows of beaches and have been recorded living at depths of more than 800 feet; they can be microscopic or grow into giants many meters long. They’re incredibly efficient at using the materials found in the ocean and are increasingly used in the human world, in applications from food to fuel. They’re beautiful, too, with their undulating shapes anchored to the sea floor or drifting on the surface. Seaweeds aren’t plants: they’re algae, part of a huge and largely unfamiliar group of aquatic organisms. Seaweeds of the World makes sense of their complicated world, differentiating between the three main groups—red, green, and brown—and delving into their complex reproductive systems. The result is an unprecedented, accessible, and in-depth look at a previously hidden ocean world.

The Forest: A Fable of America in the 1830s

Harold W. Keller — 2023-11-15

From the Publisher: Set amid the glimmering lakes and disappearing forests of the early United States, The Forest imagines how a wide variety of Americans experienced their lives. Part truth, part fiction, and featuring both real and invented characters, the book follows painters, poets, enslaved people, farmers, and artisans living and working in a world still made largely of wood. Some of the historical characters—such as Thomas Cole, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Fanny Kemble, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nat Turner—are well-known, while others are not. But all are creators of private and grand designs.
The Forest unfolds in brief stories. Each episode reveals an intricate lost world. Characters cross paths or go their own ways, each striving for something different but together forming a pattern of life. For Alexander Nemerov, the forest is a description of American society, the dense and discontinuous woods of nation, the foliating thoughts of different people, each with their separate shade and sun. Through vivid descriptions of the people, sights, smells, and sounds of Jacksonian America, illustrated with paintings, prints, and photographs, The Forest brings American history to life on a human scale.

Botanical inventory and conservation assessment of Siempre Verde Reserve, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Ronald L. Jones — 2023-11-15

Siempre Verde Reserve is located in Imbabura Province, Ecuador, in the northwestern Andes within the “Chocó-Andean Corridor” and occupies an area of 504 ha, ranging in elevation from about 2300 to 3500 m. It is privately owned by the Lovett School, originally purchased in 1992 to construct a research center and to protect one of the few remaining tracts of undisturbed cloud forest in the region. It was legally established as a “bosque protector” by the Ecuadorian government in 1994. A study was initiated in April, 2016, to inventory the flora and assess the conservation value of the site by collecting botanical specimens and by evaluating prior and on-going studies on the flora and fauna of the site. The resulting study documents 408 taxa of vascular plants, including 42 pteridophytes, 1 gymnosperm, and 365 angiosperms. Of the angiosperms, 47 are Monocots, 24 are Magnoliids and Chloranthales, and 294 are Eudicots. Included in the list are 40 taxa endemic to Ecuador and 97 taxa on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Previous and on-going studies indicate a high diversity of orchids, epiphytes, and a rich fauna, including many plant-animal associations involving bats, birds, and insects. Some of Ecuador’s most charismatic and threatened animals are known from Siempre Verde, including the spectacled bear, the puma, the olinguito, and at least nine species of bats. Much of the lower elevations along the river and around the building sites have been highly disturbed, but the higher elevations are still occupied by mature forest, with “elfin” forest at the higher sites. In comparisons with the tree and shrub species of other selected cloud forest studies in the region it was found that Siempre Verde shares 41 to 68% of the genera and 14 to 28% of the species for the lower montane zone, and 73 to 87% of the genera and 22 to 42% of the species for the upper montane zone. Notably, there are 30 genera and 144 species at Siempre Verde not found at any other of the 14 sites selected. Several non-native plant species were found, but none were particularly invasive. These results suggest that a rich flora exists at Siempre Verde, and that the Reserve harbors a unique combination of species unlike other similar cloud forest sites, providing evidence of the high conservation value of the site. Already a part of Ecuador’s private forest reserve system, Siempre Verde Reserve is located in a region facing increasing threats from mining activities and climate change, and like other cloud forest sites in the region, faces a precarious future. This study summarizes the biological richness at the site, highlights the uniqueness of the Siempre Verde Reserve, and provides an important tool for decision-making and conservation policy.

A floristic inventory of vascular plants growing wild in the Naples Botanical Garden and on immediately adjacent land (Collier County) Florida, U.S.A.

George J. Wilder — 2023-11-15

Documented presently as growing wild within, and immediately adjacent to, the Naples Botanical Garden (Collier Co., Florida) are individuals of 115 families, 351 genera, 576 species, and 587 infrageneric taxa of vascular plants. Of the 587 infrageneric taxa documented presently, 414 (70.6%) are clearly native and 13 (2.2%) are endemic to Florida. Herein, seven main kinds of habitats are recognized for the study area, and individual taxa inhabit one or more of those habitats. Seventeen presently reported infrageneric taxa are listed as Endangered (nine taxa) or Threatened (eight taxa) in Florida, and seven are listed as Critically Imperiled in South Florida. Based on the present study and on previous field work undertaken at the study site, 32 species plus two varieties are newly reported for Collier County.

Geocarpon minimum (Caryophyllaceae), new to Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Amy K. Buthod — 2023-11-15

The federally threatened species Geocarpon minimum is documented for the flora of Oklahoma for the first time. Approximately 500 individuals were found at four sandstone glade sites near Skiatook Lake in Osage County, Oklahoma. This manuscript describes G. minimum habitat and distribution in Oklahoma and throughout the rest of its range.