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Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Commelina Benghalensis New To Virginia, W. John Hayden
Commelina Benghalensis New To Virginia, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
This is the first report of Commelina benghalensis (Benghal dayflower, tropical spiderwort) in Virginia. Three mature plants with intertwined stems bearing numerous chasmogamous and cleistogamous flowers were discovered as weeds in a landscape planting of hybrid Hemerocallis, hybrid Iris, and a dwarf cultivar of Nandina domestica; nine nonreproductive seedlings were found about one meter distant in the same flower bed.
Redbud Seedpods Hold Surprises, W. John Hayden
Redbud Seedpods Hold Surprises, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
As fall advances across the Old Dominion, canopies of redbud, the 2013 VNPS Wildflower of the Year, transform themselves from green to gold, revealing seed pods also changing color from pale green to dark chocolaty brown. These seedpods, which may be retained on the tree into winter, are typical legume fruits, the product of the flower’s simple pistil, each containing several seeds. Unlike most legumes, however, redbud seed pods seem disinclined to open and release individual seeds for dispersal. Redbud fruits tend to disperse intact. Once on the ground, the inevitable action of weather and microbes gradually degrades the pod, …
Redbuds Similar Around The World, W. John Hayden
Redbuds Similar Around The World, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
Like music, one of the hallmarks of biodiversity is theme and variation. Redbuds—species of the genus Cercis— from around the world illustrate this analogy well. Because all redbud species conform to a certain morphological theme, anyone familiar with one particular species of redbud should be able to recognize without hesitation any other redbud species as a member of the genus Cercis. In brief, the redbud theme consists of broad, basally-lobed, leaves with pulvinar petiole thickenings, and pea-like red-purple (rarely white) flowers that may arise on small twigs or main trunks. In fact, these plants are so distinctive, it would …
Redbuds And Legumes Subfamilies, W. John Hayden
Redbuds And Legumes Subfamilies, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
Although legumes constitute one of the largest families of flowering plants in the world, and despite 25 years of celebrating Virginia’s wildflowers, redbud (Cercis canadensis) is the first legume to be recognized as a VNPS Wildflower of the Year. This article addresses the relationships of Cercis with the rest of the legumes (family Fabaceae, or Leguminosae in older literature).
Threshold Responses Of Forest Birds To Landscape Changes Around Exurban Development, Todd R. Lookingbill, Marcela Suarez-Rubio, Scott Wilson, Peter Leimgruber
Threshold Responses Of Forest Birds To Landscape Changes Around Exurban Development, Todd R. Lookingbill, Marcela Suarez-Rubio, Scott Wilson, Peter Leimgruber
Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications
Low-density residential development (i.e., exurban development) is often embedded within a matrix of protected areas and natural amenities, raising concern about its ecological consequences. Forest-dependent species are particularly susceptible to human settlement even at low housing densities typical of exurban areas. However, few studies have examined the response of forest birds to this increasingly common form of land conversion. The aim of this study was to assess whether, how, and at what scale forest birds respond to changes in habitat due to exurban growth. We evaluated changes in habitat composition (amount) and configuration (arrangement) for forest and forest-edge species around …
2013 Virginia Wildflower Of The Year: Redbud, Cercis Canadensis, W. John Hayden
2013 Virginia Wildflower Of The Year: Redbud, Cercis Canadensis, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
Redbuds are small trees or shrubs that may attain heights of 10 m or so. Leaves are alternate and two-ranked, simple, entire, deciduous, broadly cordate, with an acute apex, 611 cm long, 712 cm wide, and palmately veined. Petioles have two swollen pulvini, one at its connection with the stem, the other at its junction with the leaf blade.
Redbud Cauliflory: The Inside Story, W. John Hayden
Redbud Cauliflory: The Inside Story, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
One of the most distinctive features of redbuds, Cercis canadensis, the 2013 VNPS Wildflower of the Year, is its production of flowers on mature trunks and major branches, a habit termed cauliflory. Redbud flowers also form on young, one-year old twigs; as explained below, twig- and trunk-borne flowers are parts of a single developmental continuum; twigs bearing flowers eventually becoming trunks and large branches that continue to bear flowers.