The Vascular Flora of the Tennessee River Gorge, Hamilton and Marion
THE VASCULAR FLORA OF THE TENNESSEE RIVER GORGE, HAMILTON AND MARION COUNTIES, TENNESSEE By Emily R. Blyveis Approved: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Joey Shaw Jennifer N. Boyd Associate Professor of Biological and Assistant Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences (Chairperson of Thesis) (Committee Member) ____________________________________ Thomas Wilson Associate Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences (Committee Member) ____________________________________ ______________________________ Herbert Burhenn A. Jerald Ainsworth Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dean of the Graduate School THE VASCULAR FLORA OF THE TENNESSEE RIVER GORGE, HAMILTON AND MARION COUNTIES, TENNESSEE By Emily R. Blyveis A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee ii ABSTRACT An inventory of the vascular flora of the Tennessee River Gorge (TRG) was conducted between April 2009 and July 2011. The TRG is a 41-km-long river canyon located on the Cumberland Plateau physiographic province within Hamilton and Marion Counties, Tennessee. According to previous ecological surveys, the 4,970 ha (12,281 acres) study area contains 12 natural communities and six unique habitats. A total of 960 specimens were collected. These comprised 692 species and lesser taxa, representing 392 genera from 123 families of vascular plants. Overall, 133 county range extensions were documented for Hamilton and Marion Counties. Ten rare species were reported, including Castanea dentata, Cotinus obovatus, Lonicera dioica, Panax quinquefolius, Scutellaria montana, Viola tripartita var. tripartita, Hydrastis canadensis, Onosmodium bejariense var. hispidissimum, Phemeranthus mengesii, and Polymnia johnbeckii.
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