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1083. Liatris aspera Michx.: Compositae
Abstract
The North American Prairie plant Liatris aspera Michx. (Compositae: Eupatorieae: Liatrinae) is illustrated and described. The tribe Eupatorieae, subtribe Liatrinae and the genus Liatris Gaertn. ex Schreb. are discussed, along with comments on cultivated members of the tribe, and the position of Liatris aspera in the genus indicated, as well as the existence of sympatry with two other species, and the presence of natural hybrids between the three. Notes on cultivation, propagation, pests and diseases and availability of L. aspera are given, along with indications of the distribution of the species, its habitat and ecology, etymology, phenology, conservation status and known vernacular names. The lack of type material of Liatris aspera Michx. and Liatris spheroidea [sic!] Michx. in Paris, the acceptance of infraspecific taxa in Liatris aspera , and the controversy over the ability to age plants via ‘growth rings’, are discussed, along with concerns how early research might have been covered by ‘guilt‐free collection’.
Eupatorium japonicum Thunb. (Compositae: Eupatorieae: Eupatoriinae) is described and illustrated. The current synonymy is provided, together with type citations for each of the names and statements of the located type material, together with appropriate notes and comments on this material, including lectotypifications if present in the literature. A selection of verified illustrations of the species in the literature is provided. Statements of the species' distribution, habitat and ecological preferences, phenology, conservation status, and the etymology of both generic and specific epithets are given, along with an impressive array of vernacular names, reflecting its relatively wide distribution and long cultivation. Cultivation, propagation, and availability notes are provided. The probability of this plant having been ‘exported’ to China many centuries ago both for its scent and festival significance almost mirrors that of the Chrysanthemum , that came in the opposite direction a few centuries earlier. The author citation for this well‐known Japanese endemic is discussed, as is the long‐standing confusion between E. chinense L., E. japonicum and the separation of E. fortunei Turcz. in many references. Comments on Robert Fortune's Chinese collections relevant to the type material of Eupatorium fortunei are also provided. Included within the synonymy of E. fortunei is E. stoechadosmum Hance, published in a short paper, Manipulus … , in the Annales des Sciences Naturelles , the Monitum , is dated ‘7 kal. Februar. 1863’, suggesting publication of Cahier 4 post that date when it was published. Hance's novelties (some collected as late as November 1862), and those of Triana & Planchon in their Prodromus florae Novo‐Granatensis … (from Cahier 5) are listed in major databases as having been published in 1862; there is no other internal evidence in the relevant papers to suggest, or confirm, this is true. Any suggestion that Hance's Manipulis was published in early 1862 is similarly incorrect. Hance's plant supports other records, including the publication of E. fortunei Turcz., that E. japonicum had been long in cultivation in China, but never known to grow in the wild. Eupatorium japonicum , now with E. fortunei ( fujibakama ) in synonymy, is one of the seven plants, from the Festival of Seven Flowers or Herbs ( nanakusa no sekku) that takes place in the autumn – the Autumn's Seven Flowers or Herbs ( aki no nanakusa ). The autumn tradition, dating back over a millennium, mirrors the spring festival ( haru no nanakusa ) – when a seven‐herb rice porridge is eaten – but in autumn the simplicity of the flowers is just for visual enjoyment, not eating. The herbal and medicinal uses of this species also have a long history, are wide‐ranging, and clearly have great potential in a number of fields, not least in preventing insect predation, as an insecticide, or as an ovicide, together with antifungal and antimicrobial activity, as well as showing good anti‐inflammatory and cytotoxic activity. The plants Lavender‐like smell is akin to that produced in sakuramochi ( Prunus speciosa (Koidz.) Ingram, of cherry blossom fame), but is based on coumarin and its derivatives, not linalool and related volatiles in Lavandula .
Solidago nemoralis Aiton (Compositae: Astereae: Solidagininae) is illustrated and described, and its extensive synonymy provided (covering both proposed subspecies), together with full type citations and location of known types and relevant commentary. The position of the somewhat daunting genus Solidago L., and its position within the tribe Astereae is discussed. Solidago nemoralis is placed with a small cluster of species (with just S. decemflora and S. nana ) in its own subgenus and subsection, Solidago subgen. Nemorales (Mack.) Semple & J. B. Beck subsect. Nemorales (Mack.) G. L. Nesom. Cultivation, propagation, pests and diseases and availability of S. nemoralis are commented on. Differences between S. nemoralis , a predominantly diploid species with a few tetraploid populations, and S. decemflora , a tetraploid species throughout its range, are noted, and the two maintained as distinct species.
The new third edition of the Foster and Duke Field Guide to Medicinal Plants has been expanded to include 60 new species not found in previous editions. The book includes 531 species accounts with information on 588 medicinal plant species. With 705 color photographs by Steven Foster, over 88% of the images are new. Over 66% of the plants in the book are native species, while 33% represent non-native, mostly European and Asian aliens.
Eryngium yuccifolium , the rattlesnake master , a characteristic species of tall‐grass prairies in eastern North America, is illustrated from plants growing in the North American Prairie planting at Wakehurst Place; its history, ecology, pollination and cultivation are described.
The genus Liatris (Compositae) affords a favorable vehicle for an analysis of ecological and spatial isolation and their relationship to hybridization. Three biotically sympatric species, L. aspera, L. cylindracea, and L. spicata, were found within a northeastern Illinois sand prairie. Distribution of the three Liatris species was clearly related to a series of elevation, soil moisture, organic matter, exchangeable cation, and available phosphorus gradients. Liatris aspera occupied the upper slopes and ridge tops which were high in potassium and phosphorus content but low in moisture, organic matter, calcium, and magnesium levels. Liatris spicata occurred on the lower slopes and depressions with high soil moisture, organic matter, calcium, and magnesium levels but low potassium and phosphorus content. The third species, L. cylindracea, was restricted to the intermediate mid slopes. These distributional belts intergraded and created broad zones of overlap with opportunities for hybridization. The extent of hybridization was related to the spatial association of species and the availability of intermediate habitats. Hybrids had relatively narrow habitat preferences, and as such, few of the available spectrum of habitats along the elevational gradients were suitable for their establishment.
The 37 currently recognized species of Liatris are placed in formal positions within an infrageneric taxonomic system modified from one proposed by Gaiser in 1946. Five sections are recognized: (1) sect. Liatris (including ser. Liatris, ser. Punctatae, and ser. Elegantes), (2) sect. Vorago Nesom, sect. nov., (3) sect. Suprago (Gaertner) DC., (4) sect. Pilifilis Nesom, sect. nov. and (5) sect. Graminifolium Nesom, sect. nov. (including ser. Garberae, ser. Pauciflorae, ser. Virgatae, ser. Graminifoliae, and ser. Scariosae).
André Michaux was named royal botanist to King Louis XVI of France in 1785. His mission to North America was to collect plants, seeds, and other useful products of natural history to restore France's forests and enrich the royal gardens and parks. From his Journal of My Voyage, a record of his daily activities kept during the 11 years in America, we can retrace his steps, determine what plants he observed and collected, and learn whom he met. Michaux arrived in St. Augustine, Florida, on February 28, 1788, with his son, François André, and a young servant. The Second Spanish Period (1784–1821) of Florida history was in its fourth year. After visiting Governor Vizente Manuel de Zéspedes, the Governor offered Michaux assistance and permission to travel in Spanish East Florida. Michaux purchased a canoe and provisions and hired two oarsmen for a trip south along the east coast of Florida. He left with his entourage on March 12, and did not return until five weeks later, having traveled on horseback, canoe, and on foot to today's Cape Canaveral. Michaux wrote in his Journal on April 27 that 105 species of plants had been found since March 1, his first day of collecting in Florida. Forty species were well known to the botanist, 36 were of genera he knew whose specific epithet he was unsure of or did not know, and 29 plants were not determined because they were not in flower. The number of species Michaux found after April 27 is not recorded. The Michaux party left St. Augustine on April 29 for the St. Johns River. He canoed up the river to south of present-day Blue Spring, Volusia County. Michaux wrote that the trip to Florida was fruitful. His collections yielded several new species: Sphenopholis obtusata, Fimbristylis spadicea, Furiena scirpoidea, Rhynchospora ciliaris, and Ceanothus microphyllus.
The demographic genetics of a population of Liatris cylindracea were studied. The population has a nonstable age structure; there is a deficiency of young plants. Plants were divided into six age classes and the average heterozygosity of each age class measured at 27 allozyme loci. Average heterozygosity increases with increasing age class while FST, the standardized genetic variance, decreases. In addition, a positive relationship was found between individual heterozygosity and fecundity, longevity, and speed of development. Both age and reproductive potential are positively correlated with individual heterozygosity. The time of initial flowering is also related to heterozygosity; plants flowering after 2 seasons being more heterozygous than plants which do not flower. It is concluded that individual heterozygosity is being selected for.
Ten populations of the perennial herb, Liatris acidota Engelm. & Gray (Compositae), growing on the Texas Gulf Coast (USA) were analyzed for age structure, frequency of predation, and frequency of asexual reproduction. Nine of the ten populations exhibited non-stable age distributions due to a deficiency of young non-seedling plants. Age structure was not related to levels of predation nor to the amount of asexual reproduction. Environmental perturdation is suggested as the cause of the observed deviation from a stable age distribution.
This paper highlights André Michaux's journey in Canada at the end of the Eighteenth Century. On June 7, 1792, André Michaux left New York City for Canada. He sailed up the Hudson River and pursued his itinerary to Lower Canada. Michaux's intention was to reach Hudson Bay. His scientific expedition consisted of analyzing the geographical distribution of North American plants and determining their habitats. From the Hudson River to the Rivière Mistassini (Canada), he described the natural beauty of the Appalachian Mountains (United States), lakes and rivers; he traveled through the Laurentian Mountains (Canada); he continuously observed and collected plants on his scientific expedition; and he identified animals that he specifically noticed between Lac St-Jean and Lac Mistassini. These principal aspects of his journey in Canada from June to November 1792 were the prime concern for this study.
André Michaux was a trained botanist who visited North America for eleven years (1785–96) as royal botanist specifically sent to collect plants for France. His explorations resulted in a large collection housed today in the Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Laboratoire de Phanerogamie (P), Paris. Michaux collected thousands of specimens for cultivation in his Charleston garden and shipment to France. In addition, he pressed many examples of his collections for inclusion in his herbarium and kept an extensive journal of his activities while in North America. This study concentrates on his activities in the Carolinas. His plant names and descriptions were published as Flora Boreali-Americana in 1803, the year after his death. This publication was not only the first North American flora but also unique in that all the plants described were collected personally by Michaux.
In the short time that he spent in Kentucky during 1793–1796, André Michaux visited five of the state's six geographic regions. The majority of his time, however, was spent in the Bluegrass, Knobs, and Pennyroyal Regions where his plant lists and landscape descriptions are the most thorough. Unfortunately, Michaux was acting more in the capacity of an agent for France than as a botanist while he was in Kentucky. Only when Michaux's plant lists are combined with the comments and landscape descriptions of other early naturalists can a partial description of the vegetation of Kentucky around the time of statehood in 1792 be achieved.
Ageratina ligustrina is illustrated in colour. Its history, cultivation and distribution are discussed and accompanied by a black and white plate of dissections.
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