Liatris provincialis, sp. nov., (Compositae), Endemic in Western Florida

Abstract

Liatris provincialis is newly described from western Florida. It is allied with the three species of Series Pauciflorae and is most nearly like L. chapmanii. L. provincialis, so far as now known, is restricted to Franklin and Wakulla counties, Florida. (Illustrated.) Gaiser (1946) in her revision of 'the North American genus Liatris states that of the thirty-two species recognized by her the largest number for a single state, 12, occurrs in Florida. Three of the twelve are endemic in Florida: L. garberi A. Gray, L. pauciflora Pursh, and L. laevigata Nutt. L. garberi and L. laevigata are restricted to peninsular Florida, whereas, L. pauciflora occurs generally across rthe northern part of the state and in the upper peninsula. The distinctiveness of the plant described below was first noticed when it was observed in great abundance on sand dunes along the Gulf of Mexico between Lighthouse Point and Peninsular Point, Franklin County. There it occurred from the crest of the fore dunes shoreward on more stabilized dunes and into the evergreen oak-sand pine scrub adjacent. This area is a small narrow peninsula more or less paralleling the mainland on the seaward side of Alligator Harbor and is sometimes referred to as Alligator Peninsula. Later the plant was found to occur in evergreen oak-sand pine scrub along the coast from nearby Ochlockonee Bay generally southwestward to Carabelle and a little beyond, a distance of about 30 miles; also on sandy ridges of turkey oak-longleaf pline about two miles back from the coast in this vicinity and for about two milesnorth of Ochlockonee Bay in the vicinity of Panacea. Diligent search in areas of coastal dunes and evergreen oak-sand pine scrub near the Gulf westward of the Apalachicola River and on sandy ridges of turkey oak-longleaf pine elsewhere throughout the Florida Panhandle failed to reveal any other places of occurrence for this new Liatris. Liatris provincialis Godfrey, sp. nov. Fig. 1 Liatris chapmanii affinis, sed capitulis (plerumque lato-divaricatis nec anguste adscendentibus) flosculisque minoribus. Cormi variabilis globosi vel ovales vel unco-elongati. Caules solitarii vel plures ad 8 dm alti simplices vel pauci-vel multiramosi striati dense breviterque 1 This investigation was supported (in part) by a research grant, RG-6305, to the author from the Division of General Medical Sciences, Public Health