Life Sciences Commons^™

Western Prairie Fringed Orchid Management, Ecology, And Decline At Mormon Island, Andrew J. Caven

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara Sheviak & M. L. Bowles; WPFO) was first detected in a vegetative state on Mormon Island in 1978 and identification was confirmed following a mass flowering event in 1982. From a high count of ~60 plants the WPFO slowly declined and has not been observed since 2000 despite flowering season surveys conducted in 15 of the last 20 years. We explore the natural history of the WPFO in the contexts of Mormon Island to establish potential causes for its apparent disappearance and evaluate the possibility it persists in some capacity. Our investigation …

South Loup River Valley Floristics: A Survey Of Selected Sites In Buffalo County, Nebraska, Steven J. Rothenberger, April M. Christman, Kevin Turek, Emmylou A. O'Brien

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Originating in the Nebraska Sand Hills, the South Loup River flows 30 km north of Kearney, Nebraska and traverses the northern edge of Buffalo County as it flows eastward to its confluence with the Middle Loup River in southwestern Howard County. Several diverse plant communities are associated with the South Loup Valley, including wet-meadows, wetland/oxbows, sand prairie, and riparian forest. Over a period of 6 years (2006-2012), we surveyed representative wet meadow, wetland, and sand prairie communities. We compiled an annotated vascular plant checklist that included 324 vascular plant species of which 11 were new county records. Three species of …

A Floristic Analysis And Comparison Of Plant Communities In Harlan County, Nebraska, Naomi D. Hastings, Steven J. Rothenberger

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Historically, the Republican River Valley in Harlan County, Nebraska, has been extensively explored, but the county flora has continually been under-represented and has been found to lack records for plants that are considered common. During the 2009 growing season, a taxonomic study and comparison of 3 different sites in Harlan County was made. Site #1 was pastureland and Sites #2 and #3 were both riparian, located on the north side of the Republican River. Collections were pressed, dried, identified, and deposited in the University of Nebraska at Kearney Herbarium (NEBK). Forty-eight new county records were verified, in­cluding cutleaf-cucumber (Cyclanthera …

Floristic Records In The Platte And Loup River Bottomlands Of Platte County, Nebraska, Michael P. Gutzmer, Robert B. Kaul

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

A recent inventory of vascular plants in the Loup and Platte riverbottoms in Platte County has greatly increased knowledge of the area's flora. Of the 542 species of vascular plants now known to grow in the county, 289 were discovered after 1977, with more than 100 of those after 1990. 425 native and 117 naturalized species are known so far. Nearly 700 native and naturalized alien species are expected to occur in the county, based upon totals from nearby counties. Thus, almost 150 years after European settlement, more than 20% of the species remain unverified; of those, many are undoubtedly …

Keys And Distributional Maps For Nebraska Cyperaceae, Part 1: Bulbostylis, Cyperus, Dulichium, Eleocharis, Eriophorum, Fimbristylis, Fuirena, Lipocarpha, And Scirpus, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Keys and distributional maps are provided for nine genera and 43 species of Cyperaceae documented from Nebraska (excluding Carex). Two species--Eleocharis elliptica and Fimbristylis vahlii--are newly reported for the state, while seven species attributed to the state in the Flora of the Great Plains (Great Plains Flora Association, 1986)--Eleocharis compressa, E. verrucosa, E. wolfii, E. xyridiformis, Scirpus georgianus, S. smithii, and S. torreyi--are deleted based on re-identifications, lack of specimen evidence, or specimens of doubtful provenance in the state. Notes on local systematic problems within the family are also included.

Diversity Of Vascular Plants And Intensity Of Plant Collecting In Nebraska, Robert B. Kaul, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

A computerized database of Nebraska's flora has been made from specimens in 20 herbaria. Almost 1,900 species of native and escaped-alien vascular plants have been collected in the state since the mid-1800s. The flora of some counties is very well known but that of many counties, especially southwestern and Sandhills counties, is poorly collected. More than 800 species (nearly 100% of the species that are likely to occur) have been collected from each of Cherry, Douglas, Lancaster, and Richardson counties, but fewer than 150 species are known from Fillmore and McPherson counties, less than 25% of the potential number species …

Distribution, Habitats, And Taxonomy Of Ruppia Maritima L. And R. Occidentalis S. Watson In Nebraska, Robert B. Kaul

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Specimens of Ruppia from all eleven Nebraska counties in which it is known fall into two groups: R. occidentalis in alkaline Sandhills waters and R. maritima in saline waters of the Platte River Valley and Lancaster County. Ruppia occidentalis is distinguished by its more robust size; redspotted leaves and stems; terete, entire, obtuse leaves; 4-8(9) carpels; and by two elliptic white spots on its endocarp, among other characteristics. Ruppia maritima is more delicate and unspotted; the leaves are oblate in section, sub-apically denticulate, and acute-acuminate; the carpels are 3 or 4, and the endocarp spots are nearly circular. Both species …

The Distribution And Reproductive Phenology Of The Milkweeds (Asclepiadaceae: Asclepias And Cynanchum) In Nebraska, Robert B. Kaul, Steven B. Rolfsmeier, Jeffrey J. Esch

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The Asclepiadaceae are represented in Nebraska by seventeen native species of Asclepias and one of Cynanchum. Two species are here added to the State's flora: Asclepias asperula and A. purpurascens. Detailed county distribution maps are presented for all species based upon our extensive field and herbarium work, and numerous additions and corrections are made to the maps published in the Atlas of the Flora of the Great Plains in 1977. A map is presented showing the zone of hybridization of A. speciosa with A. syriaca in central Nebraska. Data are given on flowering and fruiting phenology for each …

New And Corrected Floristic Records For Nebraska, Steven B. Rolfsmeier, Robert B. Kaul, David M. Sutherland

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Nineteen species (including eight Eurasian ones) are newly recorded for Nebraska: Alopecurus arundinaceus, Amaranthus californicus, Asclepias asperula, A. purpurascens, Cardamine {lexuosa*, Centaurea diffusa, Dipsacus laciniatus, Eriochloa villosa, Euclidium syriacum, Gentiana alba, Geranium viscosissimum, Geum vernum, Goodyera oblongifolia, Haplopappus multicaulis, Heterotheca latifolia, Lathyrus tuberosus, Polygonum douglasii, Scirpus saximontanus, Veronica biloba. Twenty-one others are shown to be more widespread in Nebraska than previously known, one has a more restricted range than previously reported, two (Scirpus smithii, S. torreyi) are deleted from the flora based upon corrected identifications, and the status of some rarely-collected species is updated. Thirty-two additions, two …

The Status Of Erythronium Albidum And E. Mesochoreum (Liliaceae) In Nebraska, Robert B. Kaul

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Two species of Erythronium grow in the eastern quarter of Nebraska, but there are none elsewhere in the State. Erythronium albidum is locally abundant, mostly in upland bur oak forests, and has been collected in 18 counties since 1864. Erythronium mesochoreum is becoming rare because its habitat--virgin tall-grass prairie--is disappearing. It is known to grow now in six east-central counties, but it probably could be found in some remnant prairies in all counties south and east of the Platte and Big Blue rivers, respectively. Distributional data about these species is herein brought up to date relative to earlier published reports. …

New And Corrected Floristic Records For Nebraska, Steven B. Rolfsmeier, Robert B. Kaul, Marjorie M. Garabrandt, David M. Sutherland

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

New distributional data are given for 54 species of vascular plants in Nebraska. Twenty are newly recorded for the State. 23 are shown to be more widespread than was previously known, seven are shown to have more restricted ranges than previously reported. the records of one species attributed to the State are shown to be based on misidentifications. and the presence in the State of three species collected long ago is confirmed by recent collections.

New And Corrected Records Of The Flora Of Nebraska, Steven B. Rolfsmeier, Robert B. Kaul, David M. Sutherland

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

New distributional data are provided for 27 species of vascular plants in Nebraska, eight newly recorded as growing wild in the State. The record of one species previously attributed to the State is shown to be based upon misidentified specimens, the range of another is shown to be much more restricted in Nebraska than previously reported, and nomenclature is corrected for two species.

The Characteristics And Phytogeographic Affinities Of The Flora Of Nine-Mile Prairie, A Western Tall-Grass Prairie In Nebraska, Robert B. Kaul, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Three hundred ninety-two species, subspecies, and varieties have been recorded at Nine-Mile Prairie, a relict tall-grass prairie that has been reduced from 323 to 97 ha in the past 50 years. There are 218 native and 17 introduced herbaceous perennial species, and 73 native and 24 introduced annuals. Analogous numbers for biennials are 15 and 11, for shrubs are 14 and one, for trees are ten and three, and for woody vines are six and none. One hundred twenty-one native species are of central and eastern North American phytogeographic affinity, and 109 are of transcontinental affinity. Seventy-nine of the Prairie's …

Nebraska Plant Distribution, David M. Sutherland, Robert B. Kaul

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Distribution notes based on recent collections and herbarium work are provided for 46 Nebraska plant taxa, including 43 flowering plants, two ferns, and one liverwort. The list includes several plants that are new to the State and provides range extensions within the State for many others. Several previously published distribution records believed to be erroneous are also discussed.

New Records Of Native And Introduced Plants From Nebraska, Steven P. Churchill, Robert B. Kaul, David M. Sutherland

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Recent field work in Nebraska by staff of the University of Nebraska Herbarium has produced a number of records of previously uncollected specimens and has confirmed the presence of species collected only a few times long ago. Some of the records are of American species which are indigenous to Nebraska or which have recently spread to the state, while other records are of foreign species which are thoroughly established in the wild. Some of these are potentially serious weeds, though none have reached that stage yet.

All specimens cited are deposited in the University Herbarium in Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, except …