Phacelia purshii, one of a few phacelias with fringed corolla lobes, has historically been described as a variety of Phacelia fimbriata or as a distinct species. The geographical range is centered on the Ohio River Valley extending north to Pennsylvania, east to the Blue Ridge, and south to Alabama. Two related species were described, Phacelia bicknellii and Phacelia boykinii, but these names were rarely used in floras or applied to herbarium specimens. A morphometric and geographic analysis of herbarium specimens showed that the description of P. bicknellii corresponds to male sterile plants and therefore does not warrant taxonomic recognition. In a sample of 280 specimens, latitudinal variation was evident in a suite of characters, some of which were associated with the historical distinction between P. purshii and P. boykinii. Two previously unrecognized diagnostic characters, pubescent ovaries and pubescent abaxial surfaces of corolla lobes, distinguished plants from the southern part of the geographic range. Both pubescence characters had a relatively abrupt transition from more or less present to absent and these corresponded to southern and northern localities, respectively. Pedicel length, the historical diagnostic character for P. boykinii, had a bimodal distribution. A discriminant function correctly assigned > 94% of specimens to northern and southern morphs when the morphs were defined by ovary pubescence. The morphological and geographical data provide for accurate diagnosis of specimens and therefore support taxonomic recognition of the southern form. That form is recognized not as a distinct species, but as a variety of P. purshii, Phacelia purshii var. boykinii.

The near-threatened cycad Dioon edule (Zamiaceae) is distributed in the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico. An important ancestral cultural tradition in the region is seed collecting by indigenous and nonindigenous communities to prepare food up to more than six times a year, without the regulation of the frequency of collection and the number of seeds extracted. In natural conditions, 90% of plants die in the early stages of their life cycle, because of natural and anthropic factors. The objectives of this study were to assess the structure and dynamics of populations where seeds are frequently collected and compare with populations where seed collection does not occur to determine the effect. According to our study of demography, seed collection affects the dynamics and structure of the populations by altering the male:female ratio of plants. This could affect the continuity of the species in the long term, since the number of seeds available for incorporation into the population with the possibility of becoming reproductive adults decreases. It is suggested to design plans that allow the sustainable use of this resource and, in turn, allow the conservation of the traditional knowledge of the Xi'iuy indigenous group. Management of sustainable seed collection could be achieved by rotating collection in stands over a minimum period of 15 years, which is long enough to recover the minimum seed production.

Rhodobryum ontariense is a dendroid moss that occurs both as a facultative epilith and as a facultative epiphyte. A few studies have addressed its chemical constituents, but almost none have examined its ecological characteristics, even though it is a common and characteristic species of eastern deciduous forests. We collected data on substrate, patch size, chlorophyll content, overstory trees, and associated bryophytes of R. ontariense at three sites in western North Carolina: the Big Ivy area of Pisgah National Forest, Catawba Falls, and Dupont State Forest. Rhodobryum ontariense occurred mostly on rocks at Catawba Falls, mostly on trees at Dupont Forest, and nearly equally on rocks and trees at Big Ivy, where patch size did not differ between substrates. Epiphytic patches occurred most often on Liriodendron tulipifera and Quercus alba, and trees hosting epiphytic patches tended to be larger in diameter than trees nearest to epilithic patches. We documented 28 species of associated bryophytes, including 25 mosses and three liverworts. Eleven species (including all three liverworts) were only on rocks, eight were only on trees, and nine were on both rocks and trees. Only five species occurred at all three sites, including Thuidium delicatulum, which was the most common associate on both substrates, followed by Anomodon attenuatus. Chlorophyll levels did not differ between epilithic and epiphytic R. ontariense, suggesting that photosynthetic capacity was similar on both substrates.

Lectotypifications of Photinia beckii, Ph. chingiana, Ph. crassifolia, Ph. crassifolia var. denticulata (synonym of Ph. crassifolia), Ph. glomerata, Ph. serrulata var. congestiflora (synonym of Ph. glomerata), Ph. lindleyana var. yunnanensis (synonym of Ph. glomerata), Ph. mairei, Ph. serrulata var. prunifolia (synonym of Ph. prunifolia), Ph. serrulata var. obovata, Ph. stenophylla, Ph. undulata var. formosana (synonym of Ph. davidiana var. formosana), and Pyrus cavaleriei (synonym of Ph. davidiana) are designated here. The protologues of these names and the original materials are evaluated. Taxonomic notes discussing the selection or correction of type specimens are given for each name, and, when possible, known isolectotypes are also cited.

Vriesea psittacina is a widespread bromeliad species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Here, we discuss nomenclatural issues of its infraspecific classification. We performed a nomenclatural revision based on the main monographs for the family Bromeliaceae. In addition, we analyzed specimens to clarify questions involving the associated binomials and to provide taxonomic notes of the species and its varieties. We propose three new synonyms and describe a new variety, V. psittacina var. jiboiensis, which occurs in the Brazilian state of Bahia. We provide illustrations, notes, conservation status, and geographic distribution of the treated taxa. We also provide an identification key and a description of diagnostic characters of the resulting varieties.

The orchid Cypripedium kentuckiense is listed as imperiled in Tennessee and Oklahoma and critically imperiled in seven other states. We followed individuals' vegetative and floral traits over two seasons. Patterns of floral senescence were found to vary over two seasons and might be related to April temperatures when buds develop. Mechanical self-pollination was uncommon but perhaps “leaky.” Frequencies of insect-mediated pollination were surprisingly high (62%) for a Cypripedium species with large flowers but conversion of flowers into fruit was low (7% and 14%), suggesting that cryptic factors lower reproductive success, not inadequate pollinator visits. Hand-pollinations suggest flowers are self-compatible. As in other Cypripedium species, floral architecture relates to pollinator dimensions but at this site, only two bee species, Anthophora abrupta and A. bomboides, were primary pollinators. Male A. abrupta were common visitors although male bees are uncommon pollen vectors of Cypripedium species. For the first time, exit patterns of bees inside Cypripedium flowers were recorded based on bee species and gender. This behavior varied and was somewhat atypical of previous studies on other bee-pollinated species in the clade and genus. Specifically, Anthophora species within labella chewed on the epidermis lingering within the interior and exit canals. Consequently, C. kentuckiense might not be a trap.

The objective of the present study was to document change in arborescent vegetation at Alley Pond Park, Queens County, New York over 83 yr. We compared data generated from a Works Progress Administration (WPA) study map in 1936, with data generated at the same points on the map in 1975 by Stalter, and again at the same points in 2018. Quercus rubra L. was dominant in 1936, 1975, and 2018. There was little change in important overstory trees over 83 yr. Cornus florida L., the dominant subcanopy tree in 1936 and 1975, was nearly eliminated by dogwood anthracnose in 2018. Parsimony analysis reveals a branching break in 2018 and the early samples; this is best explained by community development, succession, and the presence of invasive taxa, Acer platanoides L., Morus alba L., and Prunus avium (L.) L.