CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF GEORGIA, U.S.A. RICHARD CARTER1,4, W. WILSON BAKER2, M. WAYNE MORRIS3 Abstract. Additions to the flora of Georgia, U.S.A., and other noteworthy records are reported. Voucher specimen data are cited to document species from Georgia previously not known to occur in the state; additional records of poorly known or infrequently collected native and exogenous naturalized species; and additional populations of rare, threatened, and endangered species or species otherwise listed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Data on the status of protected plants, special concern plants, and watched plants as indicated by the Georgia De- partment of Natural Resources are provided, and exogenous taxa are denoted. One hundred seventy-seven species are reported, of which 59 are putative state records and 68 are exogenous. Keywords: flora, floristics, Georgia, range extensions, vascular plants, noteworthy plants, rare plants, invasive weeds. Venard (1969) compiled a comprehensive list of 1949b, 1951), Faircloth (1971), and Lane (1976). published botanical work pertaining to Georgia. Other works with broader geographical coverage While it is beyond the scope of this paper to up- also bear substantially on the flora of Georgia, i.e., date that work, below we review some of the high- Chapman (1860, 1889, 1897), Small (1903, 1913, lights of Georgia’s floristic botany, with particular 1933), Radford et al. (1968), Duncan (1975), God- emphasis on published research since Venard’s frey and Wooten (1979, 1981), and Godfrey 1969 compilation. Other than Stephen Elliott’s (1988). Notable too are Robert Kral’s (1983) com- Sketch (1816–1821, 1821–1824) no comprehensive prehensive treatment of rare flora of the south- flora of the state has been published. However, eastern United States and compilations on Geor- Roland Harper’s remarkable contributions to the gia’s rare plants by Patrick et al. (1995) and Chafin knowledge of Georgia’s flora in the first decade of (2007). Moreover, numerous florulas of smaller the 20th Century aside (Harper 1900a, 1900b, 1901, areas such as counties or state parks have been 1903a, 1903b, 1904, 1905a, 1905b, 1906a, 1906b, published since Venard (1969), i.e., Lipps and De 1909, 1910), there have been a number of impor- Selm (1969), Bostick (1971), Jones (1974), Leslie tant works dealing with various taxonomic groups, and Burbanck (1979), Coile (1981), Duncan i.e., McVaugh and Pyron (1951), Russell and Dun- (1982), Houle (1987), Coile and Jones (1988), can (1972), Muir (1979), Bruce et al. (1980), and Howel (1991), Drew et al. (1998), Stiles and Howel Snyder and Bruce (1986), or with specific geo- (1996, 1998), Zomlefer et al. (2008), Echols and graphical regions of the state, i.e., Thorne (1949a, Zomlefer (in press). Also, during this period nu- Colleagues kindly confirmed the identities of duplicate specimens as follows: Dr. Robert Kral (VDB), Asimina pygmaea and A. × nashii; Dr. Charles Bryson (SWSL) and Dr. Rob Naczi (DOV), Carex annectens, C. chapmanii, C. floridana, and C. godfreyi; Dr. Kelly Allred (NMCR), Bothriochloa spp.; Dr. Richard Spellenberg (NMC), Boerhaavia diffusa and its status as new state record; and Dr. John Nelson (USCH), Pycnanthemum floridanum. Dr. Rob Naczi determined duplicate specimens of Carex gholsonii. Mr. John B. Jensen, Senior Wildlife Biologist, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Nongame Conservation Section, graciously shared site data on his Rhexia salicifolia site and granted permission to report our voucher specimens. Mr. Greg Lee and Mr. Paul Schoenfeld secured clearance for us to publish data on records from Moody Air Force Base and Kings Bay Submarine Base, respectively. Support for field research was provided to the first author through grants and contracts from the following agen- cies and organizations: Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program; Georgia Botanical Society; USDA -APHIS. through University of Georgia (Tifton); US Department of Defense through the Georgia Department of Natural Re- sources, Grant No. 1995CCD002; US Fish & Wildlife Service; US Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, through The Nature Conservancy of Georgia, Contract No. M6700491D0010-5W01; the US Army through the Nature Conser- vancy of Georgia; and the Faculty Research Fund of Valdosta State University. The Botany Department, University of Florida, provided financial support to M.W. Morris. The constructive reviews of Dr. Loran Anderson (FSU) and Dr. Alan Weakley (NCU) improved this paper. 1 Herbarium, Department of Biology, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA 31698, U.S.A. 2 1422 Crestview Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32303, U.S.A. 3 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy University, Troy, AL 36082, U.S.A. 4 Author for correspondence: [email protected] Vulpia, Vol. 8, 2009, pp. 1–54. © The North Carolina State University Herbarium, 2009. ISSN 1540-3599 2 VULPIA Vol. 8 merous reports of new state records or significant protected plants, special concern plants, and range extensions have appeared, i.e., Norsworthy watched plants compiled by the Georgia Depart- (1966), Faircloth (1970, 1975, 1981), Duncan ment of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Pro- (1971, 1985), Duncan and Funderburk (1972), gram (Patrick et al. 1995; Anonymous 2007) were Bostick (1977), Duncan and Duncan (1978), Den- used to determine the status of species reported nis (1980), Kral (1981), Carter and Faircloth on herein, and it is anticipated that data reported (1986), Hunt (1986), Whetstone et al. (1987), herein will be useful in revising those lists. Broyles and Wyatt (1988), Coile (1988), Bridges Following is an alphabetical annotated list of and Orzell (1989), Carter (1990), Matthews et al. noteworthy contributions to the flora of Georgia. (1991), Stiles and Howel (1994), Ruter et al. Tropicos (Missouri Botanical Garden 2008) was (1995), Bryson et al. (1996), Sorrie (1998), Carter used to confirm authority citations and synonymy. et al. (1999), Carter and Bryson (2000), Holmes Based upon voucher specimens, the atlases of (2000), Townsend et al. (2000), McMillan et al. Jones and Coile (1988) for dicots and Sweeney and (2002), and Jenkins and McMillan (2005). Since Giannasi (2000) for pteridophytes and monocots 1980, several checklists and atlases based upon have been our primary means for determining voucher specimens housed primarily at the Uni- which taxa have previously been documented for versity of Georgia Herbarium (GA) have been the state. Names for physiographic provinces published: Duncan and Kartesz (1981), Coile and mostly follow Bruce et al. (1980). As indicated, Jones (1985), Jones and Coile (1988), and most voucher specimens for the records reported herein recently Sweeney and Giannasi (2000). are housed primarily at Valdosta State University Our purpose herein is to provide data from Herbarium (VSC), with duplicates distributed else- voucher specimens documenting for Georgia (1) where. Duplicates yet to be distributed are indi- species previously not known to occur in the state, cated “others tbd.” Herbarium acronyms follow (2) additional records of poorly known or infre- Holmgren and Holmgren (1998). Author abbre- quently collected native and exogenous naturalized viations follow Brummitt and Powell (1992). species, and (3) additional populations of rare, Other abbreviations and symbols are keyed in threatened, or endangered species. Recent lists of Table 1. TABLE 1. Key to symbols denoting species status and rank. State status according to Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Anonymous 2007) E Listed as endangered; species in danger of extinction throughout all or part of its range T Listed as threatened; species likely to become an endangered species in the foreseeable future throughout all or parts of its range R Listed as rare; species may not be endangered or threatened but should be protected because of scarcity U Listed as unusual (and thus deserving of special consideration); plants subject to commercial exploitation State rank according to Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Anonymous 2007) S Listed among plant species of special concern W Listed among watched plant species S1 Critically imperiled in state because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences) S2 Imperiled in state because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences) S3 Rare or uncommon in state (21 to 100 occurrences) SN Regularly occurring, usually migratory and typically nonbreeding species SR Reported from state, but without persuasive documentation (precise site records or verification of taxon- omy lacking) SU Possibly in peril in state but status uncertain; need more information on threats or distribution SH Of historical occurrence in state, perhaps not verified in past 20 years, but suspected to be extant SNR State not ranked ? Denotes questionable rank; best guess given whenever possible (e.g. S3?) Miscellaneous symbols and abbreviations * Putative first record for Georgia † Exogenous taxon EPPC Listed among invasive exotic plants in Florida (FLEPPC 2007) FNW Federal Noxious Weed (Anonymous 2006) 2009 Carter et al., Contributions to the flora of Georgia 3 †Acmella pusilla (Hook. & Arn.) R.K. Jansen VSC), 17 Sep 2006, R. Carter 17215, W.W. Baker (Asteraceae) and G. Nelson (VSC); Wade Tract, 30.76072°N U.S.A. GEORGIA. Chatham Co.: Garden City, 84.002854°W, locally abundant, 22 Sep 2008, 0.2 mi W jct Hwy GA 307 and Hwy GA 21, W.W. Baker s.n. (FSU, TTRS, VSC). Worth Co.: beween Export Blvd and Hwy GA 21, mowed 4.35 air mi NNW Anderson City,