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NOTEWORTHY FROM PLANT THE OKEFENOKEE SPECIES GEORGIA— SWAMP, Swamp The Okefenokee on located the Atlantic is The swamp Coastal Plain in southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. sur- km- 3826 face area of includes parts of Ware, Clinch, Charlton, and Echols counties, Georgia, and Baker County, Florida. There are a number of dis- swamp, swamp tinct habitat types within the including and forests, tree shrub islands, grass-sedge marshes, emergent macrophyte marshes, and open & lakes (Greening Gerritsen 1987). Sand and peat are the two soil types in swamp. Marine the or lacustrine sandy soils occur in large islands, uplands, and immediately Suwannee dam east of the River a low earthen Sill, i.e. & impounding Suwannee The the River (Parrish Rykiel 1979). majority of swamp 5m the substrate peat (96% organic matter) up deep (Cohen to is 1973). The flora of Okefenokee has been of interest to botanists since the early when M. made 1900s Roland Harper the extensive investigation of first swamp Over the vegetation (Trowell 1988). the following years further swamp description of the has been provided by Wright and Wright flora Cypert and The most com- (1932), (1961; 1972; 1973), Schlesinger (1978). prehensive checklist of the vascular plants of Okefenokee was compiled by Loew and Jones (1984) from plant surveys conducted during the growing seasons of August 1978-September 1980. Their documents 101 checklist species of vascular plants representing 53 famihes. The Swamp large surface area and inaccessibility of remote regions of the have hindered comprehensive As few botanical surveys. a result a species, particularly sedges, have been overlooked. This manuscript documents species which should be added to the checklist of vascular plants occurring in Okefenokee Swamp, the Georgia. The observations reported herein result from more than two years (July 1992-December made 1994) of collecting and observations conjunc- in tion with a project entitled "The Effects of Hydrologic Alterations on the Swamp" Ecology of the Okefenokee (Loftin et unpublished data). Plants al., Many were collected by various methods. specimens were collected during species composition, biomass, and cover estimates along 80 permanent emergent macrophyte Durdin, transects established in four prairies (Chesser, Floyd's, and Sapling Prairies), and the Suwannee River floodplain near the Some Sill. specimens were obtained as seedlings germinating from soil cores collected along the permanent transects. These cores were used in seed soil bank experiments, and seedlings were germinated from the cores under greenhouse conditions near the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area (Charlton grown Co., Georgia). Before harvesting the sample, the seedlings were un- Swamp Oktffenokee during the course of our investigations. Although most common specimens (except Rhynchospora alba) are fairly species reported previously in Georgia, there no documentation for these species from the is Okefenokee Swamp. These species should be added to the checklist of vascular plants of Okefenokee. Voucher specimens for those species described herein have been donated to the herbaria of the University of Georgia, Athens (GA), and the University of Florida, Gainesville (FLAS). As noted previously, some specimens were obtained from cores during seed bank soil experiments. For these specimens, the locality stated the were the site is was Although soil core obtained. all species described herein were observed the the core specimens were of herbarium-quality. Nomencla- in field, soil Wooten Godfrey and ture follows that of 1979a, b). ( Poaceae N km Muhl. Efianthus giganteus (Walt.) Georgia. Charlton Co.: 1.6 of & Dinner Pond, 500 mi E Dec of Sapling Prairie boat 15 1994, Loftw trail, NWR, 138 (GA); Okefenokee 28 Oct O'Neill Floyd's Prairie, 1992, Wilhges & & 20a (FLAS); 20b (GA). Enanthus Loftin Williges Loftin gtganteus a is cool season grass flowering September-October (Radford et al. 1968). It is common and found growing throughout most swamp. fairly prairies of the Although Loew and Jones (1984) reported collecting Michx. E. hrevibarbiis we during their surveys, have yet to observe this species in the Be- field. Loew cause and Jones (1984) collected during the growing season, they may have overlooked E. giganteiis since most conspicuous in the it is fall. It questionable whether swamp. is E. brevibarhus actually occurs in the E. & giganteus has been previously reported from Charlton County (Jones Coile Cyperaceae m Carex Muhl. Georgia. Ware 650 E Ham- verrucosa Co.: of Craven's & mock 300 Island, rn S of Craven's Lake, l4 Jan 46 199.3, Willtges Loftin m Swamp (FLAS); Suwannee Creek Bridge on Perimeter Road, 200 ca S of m N & Woods Aug Piney Lake, 200 of Suwannee Lake, 31 1993, Wi/liges O'Neill 2.09 (GA). Because this species prefers sandy sites in the refuge, it "swamp not found in the proper," where peat predominate. For is soils i.e. swamp this reason, has been excluded from previous studies. Since this it common Suwannee shallow water of the River species in relatively east is should be included the of Okefenokee. These specimens in flora Sill, it & new Ware County represent records for (Jones Coile 1988). m Cyperus Muhl. Georgia. Charlton Co.: ca 900 E of the erythrorhtzos m Suwannee River 900 S of Mack's Island, 16 Sep 1993, Williges, Sill, & & Although 111 (GA), 1.12 (FLAS). Loftin O'Neill Williges, Loftin O'Neill these voucher specimens were grown from soil cores, this species has been swamp observed growing in disturbed sites, such as floating peat recently new dredged from the canoe of Chesser Prairie. These specimens are trails & County records Charlton (Jones Coile 1988). for m E Eleocharis vivipara Link. Georgia. Charlton Co.: ca 20 of the Sapling N km May Dinner Pond, 2^ Prairie Boat Trail, 2.4 of 1993, Wtlliges, Loftin, km NE & Ware Suwannee O'Neill 68 (FLAS); Georgia. Co.: ca 3-5 of River & Hammock Apr on Craven's Canoe Trail, 19 1994, Williges O'Neill Sill, we 127 (GA). These specimens represent the few E. vivipara observed with mature spikelets. Eleocharis vivipara one of four spikerush species that is culm by produced from the reproduce vegetatively shoots sterile spikelets at & apex (Ward Leigh Submersed mats of vegetatively reproducing 1975). Eleocharis are common directly east of the Suwannee River Sill. Most of our Loew undetermined collections in this area are either E. vivipara or species. Chapm., and Jones (1984) reported collecting E. haldwinii (Torr.) also a We submersed, vegetatively reproducing species. suspect that both E. vivipara and E. baldwinii are found in the swamp, and possibly a third spe- with dominance determined by hydrologic cies, E. microcarpa Torr., species conditions. Durdm Rhynchospora alba Vahl. Georgia. Charlton Co.: Prairie ca 1.5 (L.) W & km 100 16 Sep S of Flag Lake, rn of boat 1993, Williges, Loftin trail, m no Durdin 300 SE Durdin 100 O'Neill (FLAS); Prairie ca rn of Lake, NE & of boat 24 Sep 1993, Williges, Loftin O'Neill 114 (GA). These trail, from Southeast Georgia specimens represent the records of this species first and are the southernmost records in the U.S. Prior records of R. alba exist Rabun County the Blue Ridge province of northeast Georgia (Duncan for in & Of Okefenokee Kartesz 1981). interest is that the habitat of i?, alba in is commonly Ac- not what associated with this species in other regions. is and found cording to Gale (1944), R. alba considered rare in Virginia, is West North southward only mountain bogs of Virginia, Caro- in scattered Wooten and Puerto Rico. Godfrey and (1979a) state this species lina, is found open, sphagnous bogs from Newfoundland to Maryland, and south in in the mountains to North Carolina. Radford et al. (1968) report this spe- Our North voucher specimens were germi- very Carolina. cies rare in is 778 SiDA 16(4) from from Durdin Although natecl soil cores collected Prairie. not it is common, we have observed R. alba growing in the southern edge of Durdin where white make Prairie, the scales of this species conspicuous. fairly it Durdin Prairie is one of the least studied regions of the swamp. The un- stable floating vegetation mats make characteristic of the prairie travel in this area extremely difficult without the aid of air boats. For this reason few plant investigations have been done which may why in this region, explain We this species has been overlooked. have found also this species reproducing Southeast Chesser Although in Prairie. this prairie in general has a more submersed solid, peat substrate, the prairie fringe consists of floating mats peat similar to those found throughout Durdin The Chesser Prairie. Prairie samples were found mat in this floating peat fringe. Rhynchospora cephalantha Gray. Georgia. Charlton Co.: Floyd's Island Prai- m m N 700 E Suwannee of 100 rie, River, of Floyd's Prairie Canoe Trail, & & 20 88 W^ges Jul 1993, Williges Loftm (FLAS); 89 (GA). Loew Loftin and Jones (1984) reported collecting four species oi Rhynchospora: R. fascicularis (Michx.) Vahl, R. inundata (Oakes) Fern., R. mkrocephala Britt. ex Small, and R. wrightiana Boeck. Rhynchospora cephalantha and R. vikrocephala are similar in general features and are not always distinguish- & Wooten able (Godfrey 1979a). Records of phalantha have been i^. re- & ported from Charlton and Echols counties Qones Coile 1988). Although we have not observed swamp, mkrocephala R. in the possible both spe- it is cies are present. Therefore, likely that six species of Rhynchospora occur it is in the Okefenokee Swamp. Sclerta retkulans Michx. Georgia. Charlton Co.: Floyd's Island Prairie, ca m N 700 E Suwannee of River, 100 rn of Floyd's Praine Canoe 18 Trail, Aug & 1993, Williges, Loftm O'Neill 102 (FLAS). Ware Chesser Co.: Prai- W m ca 700 of Seagrove Lake, 700 E 4 Aug rie, rn of boat 1993, trail, & Wiinges, Loftm O'Neill 100 (GA). These specimens were germinated from and new Ware soil cores represent records and Charlton for counties (Jones & Coile 1988). Scleria retkularis has also been found on exposed, floating mats peat in south Chesser occurrence Prairie. Its in the field corresponds summer to periods of drawdown, when the peat becomes surface exposed. J Michx. uncus repens Georgia. Charlton Co.: Suwannee River ca Sill area, m 300 E of Middle 24 May & Island, 1993, 62 Williges, Loftin O'Neill m (FLAS); Suwannee River 1100 SE May Sill area, ca of Pine Island, 24 & 1993, Wtlliges, Loftm ONetll 63 (GA). These voucher specimens were germinated from which soil cores in they produced a diagnostic inflorescence. L995 commonly This species found in relatively shallow water and sandy soils is We Hammock Suwannee near the River and the Craven's canoe Sill trail. have observed only the submersed form the spreading by rooting in field, without at the nodes, flowering stems. usually does not flower unless It & drawdown Wooten exposed during a (Godfrey 1979a). This species is swamp not found in the proper, but should be included in the Okefenokee commonness flora due to its within the refuge. Junucs repens has been previ- & Ware ously collected from Charlton and counties Jones Coile 1988). ( Onagraceae data Suwannee Ludwigia Ell. Georgia. Charlton Co.: River Sill area, ca m & E 300 Middle of Island, 19 Jul 1993, Wtlltges, Loftm O'Neill 83 (FLAS); & Williges, Loftin O'Neill 84 (GA). This species frequent in sandy soils is Suwannee near the River Ludwigia alata usually found along the Sill. is edge of canoe in relatively shallow water, frequently established on trails and produces numerous, submersed, Previous floating logs, basal stolons. field collections consisted of the stoloniferous form only, and was not it we our voucher specimens germinated from obtained until cores that soil specimens with mature flowers. a frequently occurring plant in the It is new v/estern portions of the refuge on sandy These specimens are sites. & County records for Charlton (Jones Coile 1988). The authors wish thank D. O'Neill to D. Hall specimen collection, for identifica verification of R. alba samples, K. Perkins fc preparation, and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for access to field sites and permission to collect samples. This research was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Biological Service un- Work der Cooperative Agreement #14-16-0009-1544, Research Order #87. — and Kent A. Williges Cynthia Loftin\ National Biological Coop- S. Service, & Box 110450, erative Fish Wildlife Research Unit, P.O. University of Florida, FL 32611-0430, U.S.A. Gainesville, lEN, A.D. 1973. Petrology of some holocene peat sediments from the Okefenol Am. narsh complex of southern Georgia. Geol. Soc. Bull. 84:3867-3878. Swamp on burned Okefenokee following 1973. Plant succession areas in of 1954 and 1955, Tall Timbers Fire Ecology Conf. 12:199-217. fires Duncan, W.H. and Kartesz. 1981. Vascular of Georgia an annotated checklist. flora J.T. University of Georgia Press, Athens. Gale, 1944. Rhynclmpom. section Eurhynchospora. in Canada the United States, and the S. . West Rhodora 46:89-278. Indies. Wooten. Godfrey, R.K. and 1979a. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern J.W. United Monocotyledons. University of Georgia Press, Athens. States, 1979b. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern United States, Dicoty- Georgia Athens. ledons. University of Press, Changes macrophyte community Greening, H.S. and Gerritsen. 1987. in structure J. Swamp, 28:113- following drought in the Okefenokee Georgia, U.S.A. Aquatic Bot. The JONES, S.B. and N.C. Coile. 1988. distribution of the vascular flora of Georgia. Jr. University of Georgia Press, Athens. Okefenokee LoEW, and S.B. Jones, 1984. Checklist of the vascular plants of the J.A. Jr. The Swamp. In: A.D. Cohen, D.J. Casagrande, M.J. Andrejko, and G.R. Best, eds. Okefenokee Swamp: natural history, geology, and geochemistry Wetland Surveys, its New Los Alamos, Mexico. Pp. 702-709. Swamp Parrish, EK. and Rykie. 1979 Okefenokee origin: review and reconsidera- E.J. tion. J.Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 95:17-31. Manual Radeord, A.E., H.E. Ahles and C.R. Bell. 1968. of the vascular plants of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. SCHLESINGER, W.H. 1978. Community structure, dynamics and nutrient cycling in the Monog. 48:43-65. Okefenokee cypress swamp-forest. Ecol. Trowell, C.T. 1988. Exploring the Okefenokee: Roland M. Harper in the Okefenokee Swamp. Research paper South Georgia College, Douglas. no. 2, Ward, —8, D. B. and E.M. (HoixiSON) Leigh. 1975. Contributions to the flora of Florida Castanea 40:16-36. Eleocharis (Cyperaceae). Wright, A.H. and A.A. Wriglit. 1932. The habitats and composition of the vegetation Okefenokee Swamp. Monog. 11:110-232. of Ecol.