4 Oklahoma Native Plant Record Volume 9, December 2009 VASCULAR PLANTS OF SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA FROM THE SANS BOIS TO THE KIAMICHI MOUNTAINS Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 1969 Francis Hobart Means, Jr. Midwest City, Oklahoma Current Email Address: [email protected] The author grew up in the prairie region of Kay County where he learned to appreciate proper management of the soil and the native grass flora. After graduation from college, he moved to Eastern Oklahoma State College where he took a position as Instructor in Botany and Agronomy. In the course of conducting botany field trips and working with local residents on their plant problems, the author became increasingly interested in the flora of that area and of the State of Oklahoma. This led to an extensive study of the northern portion of the Oauchita Highlands with collections currently numbering approximately 4,200. The specimens have been processed according to standard herbarium procedures. The first set has been placed in the Herbarium of Oklahoma State University with the second set going to Eastern Oklahoma State College at Wilburton. Editor’s note: The original species list included habitat characteristics and collection notes. These are omitted here but are available in the dissertation housed at the Edmon-Low Library at OSU or in digital form by request to the editor. [SS] PHYSICAL FEATURES Winding Stair Mountain ranges. A second large valley lies across the southern part of Location and Area Latimer and LeFlore counties between the The area studied is located primarily in Winding Stair and Kiamichi mountain the Ouachita Highlands of eastern ranges. Oklahoma. The specific area is generally bounded on the west by State Highway 2, Geology on the south by the Kiamichi Mountains, on The Sans Bois Mountains of northern the east by the Oklahoma-Arkansas State Latimer and LeFlore counties are primarily Line, and on the north by the Sans Bois Savanna and McAlester formations of the Mountains. The area includes the southern Krebs group, dating from the Pennsylvanian two-thirds of Latimer County, the southern (Snider 1917). The valleys to the west and half of LeFlore County, and the northeast east of Wilburton in Latimer County and corner of Pushmataha County. extending eastward into LeFlore County are Most of the area is mountainous with alluvium and low terrace deposits underlain prairie sites lying generally west to east in by Pennsylvanian strata (Snider 1917). narrow valleys. One large prairie site lies in These valleys are generally associated with northern Latimer County and central Gaines Creek in Latimer County, Fourche LeFlore County, between the Sans Bois and Maline Creek in Latimer and LeFlore Means, F.H. https://doi.org/10.22488/okstate.17.100067 Oklahoma Native Plant Record 5 Volume 9, December 2009 counties, and Poteau River in LeFlore a valley through which flows the Kiamichi County. These also are associated with the River. This valley runs from Big Cedar in coal basin of eastern Oklahoma, with LeFlore County westward through Talihina, numerous coal deposits occurring in the across Latimer County, and into Pennsylvanian strata. Pushmataha County near Clayton. It is The Ouachita Overthrust, forming the formed from the Stanley Shale of Upper Winding Stair Mountain Range, is of Mississippian (Snider 1917) that is easily Cambrian to Lower Pennsylvanian rocks eroded and forms valley floors. formed during the second period of Lying to the west of Talihina in mountain formation in eastern Oklahoma southeast Latimer County and along the (Dott 1928). The leading edge, to the north northeastern edge of Pushmataha County and west, formed a great arc and is now are the Potato Hills. They are remnants of known as the Choctaw Fault (Dott 1928), Ordovican black shales and sandstones which runs from west to east across central underlain by shales of Lower Pennsylvanian Latimer and LeFlore counties. The (Snider 1917). At many places the Arkansas Wapanucka limestone outcrops along this Novaculite-Stanley complex is present. The fault through Latimer County and dates to Ordovican consists of bluish, greenish, and the early Pennsylvanian (Fellows 1964). To white chert with thin cherty and slaty shales the south of the Choctaw Fault lie the with thin lenticels of limestone (Snider Winding Stair Mountains. They are heavily 1917). The Kiamichi Mountains are faulted, with alternating layers of sandstones Jackfork Shale of Pennsylvanian underlain and shales. The principal strata are the by Stanley Shale (Snider 1917). The Atoka Formation of Pennsylvanian, the sandstone is resistant to weathering. The Jackfork of Upper Mississippian, the John’s faulting is severe, and these mountains are Valley Formation of Upper Mississippian more rugged than the Winding Stair and Lower Pennsylvanian, and the Stanley Mountains. Rich Mountain, of southeast Shale of Upper Mississippian (Fellows LeFlore County, is of like composition. It is 1964). Characteristically the valleys are the highest in the area, reaching an elevation formed from shales and the mountains from of approximately 3000 feet (914.4 m) above sandstones. The deeper riverbeds contain sea level (Snider 1917), which is belts of Pleistocene materials. The Atoka approximately 2000 feet (609.6 m) above Formation is principally gray shale with the streams at its base. The lower elevations sandstones distributed throughout, while in the area are approximately 500 feet (152.4 the Jackfork is composed of heavy, massive m) above sea level. beds of brown sandstone separated by thinner bands of gray shale (Snider 1917). Topography by Counties The Atoka strata are more resistant to erosion than is the Stanley Shale. The John’s According to Snider (1917), Latimer Valley Formation is gray-green clay shale County covers approximately 735 sq. miles with interbedded sandstone that is easily (1903.64 sq. km), lying in an area of eroded and is a valley former (Snider 1917). Pennsylvanian rocks with the southern part The Stanley Shale is a bluish, greenish-black in the Ouachita Mountain region. Both the slaty shale with thin sandstone layers and northern and southern parts consist of considerable chert (Snider 1917). Some alternating sandstones and shales of Caney Shale, which is black and green in considerable thickness, folded into steep, color, is also present. northeast-southwest folds. The southern The Winding Stair Mountains are formations are the oldest and are steeper. separated from the Kiamichi Mountains by Means, F.H. 6 Oklahoma Native Plant Record Volume 9, December 2009 The northern part is drained by Fourche Ouachita Highlands, with several additional Maline eastward into the Poteau River; the localized series. They are acid red-yellow southern part drains into the Kiamichi River podzolic soils developed from gray and through several small tributaries; and the brown shales and sandstones. The surface southwestern part drains northwest into the soils are generally light colored and strongly Canadian River by way of Gaines Creek leached. The major soil series are the (Figure). Hector-Pottsville, Enders-Conway-Hector, LeFlore County is one of the larger Atkins-Pope, and the Parsons-Dennis-Bates. counties in the state, covering approximately South of the Choctaw Fault, much of 1614 sq. miles (4180.24 sq. km). The the mountains are rough with some of the northern part lies in the Arkansas Valley formations steeply tilted (as much as 60 geologic and physiographic province while degrees to the horizontal). On these the southern part lies in the Ouachita mountains, forest vegetation can easily Mountains. The formations are the same as penetrate the more weathered layers of the those of Latimer County, with the Ouachita slopes. The Sans Bois Mountains have soils Mountains being especially rough. Included of the same series as the Winding Stair and are the Winding Stair, Kiamichi, and Kiamichi mountains, but the strata are more Jackfork mountains. The middle and horizontal, which results in poorer forest northern part drains into the Arkansas River sites. by way of the Poteau River and its The soil association characteristic of the tributaries. The southern part drains into the Sans Bois, Winding Stair, and Kiamichi Kiamichi River, which lies north of mountain ranges is the Hector-Pottsville Kiamichi Mountain. The southern edge, series (see Fig.). In the Hector series, the south of Kiamichi Mountain, is drained by topsoil is a dark brown sandy loam, Little River toward the Red River. characteristically formed on hills and Pushmataha County covers mountains under forest type vegetation. In approximately 1430 sq. miles (3703.68 sq. the Pottsville series, topsoil is a brown, fine km.). It lies in the Ouachita Mountains sandy loam or loam a few inches deep, except for the southwest corner. The hills formed on hills and mountains under forest are rugged with much surface sandstone, vegetation. In both Hector and Pottsville, it separated by narrow valleys. The Jackfork is not uncommon for slopes to be steep. Mountains and the Potato Hills are the areas Ledges and surface rocks are also a of highest elevation in the county. The common occurrence. eastern part of the county drains toward the The soils of the Potato Hills include the Red River by means of Little River. Most of Clebit series in addition to the Hector and the county is drained toward the Red River Pottsville series. The Clebit topsoil varies by Kiamichi River and its tributaries. The from a dark gray-brown stony silt loam to a Kiamichi has its origin in Arkansas, flows pale brown silt loam, formed under forest westward, then southward, then southeast vegetation of rocky steep slopes. to the Red River. The Kiamichi River is The soil of the prairie west of paralleled by Little River to the east, which Wilburton, in Latimer County, is the has its origin in the southwest corner of Parson-Dennis-Bates Association (see LeFlore County.