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— Shorter Notes New Lebanon— we Turkish Isoetes duriei to In a recent paper, (Bolin et al., taxonomy and Journal of Botany 32:447-457. 2008) discussed the distribution Western of the quillworts (species of the genus Isoetes, Lycophyta] in Asia. In we new supplementary record the presence of three quillworts to this note, known Lebanon -one widespread Mediterranean one from only a species, a new With Turkey and two and an undescribed single in in Syria, species. site number documented Lebanon from has increased this report, the of species in ODU. and one to three. Voucher specimens will be deposited at BEI, E, In his Mouterde [Nouvelle Flora du Liban et de la Syria. Beirut: flora, Editions de L'Imprimerie Catholique. 1966) included two species of Isoetes known from Syria and Lebanon- Isoetes olympica A. Braun from only a few known extreme on Al Arab Druze) sites Jebel (historically as Jebel in and what Mouterde Bory forma subinermis southeastern called histrix Syria, /. He two Durieu from the Akkar region of northern Lebanon. separated the on velum coverage olympica with an species chiefly the basis of I. velum incomplete velum and forma subinermis has complete histrix /. coverage. Musselman [Fern Gaz. 16(6, 7 & 8):324-3 29. 2002) noted the impending demise of the Jebel Al Arab populations due to habitat destruction. However, in 2007 populations of olympica were found at several sites in the /. Homs, vicinity of Syria (Bolin et al, 2008). we April 2009, located thousands of quillworts several different sites in In at the Akkar region of extreme northern Lebanon, a region of basalt derived soils. showed Examination of the megaspores clearly that they are duriei Bory, a /. unknown Mediterranean with Mediterranean species previously in the eastern the closest populations in Turkey (Bolin et 2008). Unlike most species of al., and grows (degenerated quillworts, duriei terrestrial in typical garrigue is /. were and Mediterranean vegetation. Plants small initially difficult to forest) we locate among the grasses and forbs. Based on the large number of plants how saw, hard understand plant could have been overlooked after to this is it may more and Lebanon. This be than a century a half of botanical studies in due to their maturation as early as mid-April, plants were beginning to senesce and had mature spores at this stage. The large megaspores of duriei with /. among distinctive alveolate ornamentation are easy to recognize, being the most distinctive in the genus. Near the village of Kfar Noun, especially robust plants of olympica, readily /. much discerned by the incomplete velum and smaller tuberculate megaspores, were abundant in a vineyard among numerous duriei. Isoetes olympica has /. was never been reported from Lebanon. For almost a century, olympica /. known modern only from the type locality near day Bursa, Turkey. In the The were found Druze (Musselman, 1930's several populations at Jebel 2002). Homs discovery of large populations near and the recently discovered Akkar much plants strongly suggests that olympica has a wider distribution and is /. AMERICAN FERN VOLUME JOURNAL: NUMBER 99 4 (2009] more abundant than previously thought. should be sought additional It at sites in Syria, as well as eastern Turkey and Images olympica and Iraq. of/, duriei /. from Akkar are http://www.odu.edu/-lmusselm/plant/index.php at: In addition olympica and we to found duriei which a third species /. I. is new apparently known to science. Hybrids are from most places in the world where two or more species grow and we together have recently noted the first hybrids involving duriei (with bistrix){Bolm /. et al, 2008). /. The addition of these species Lebanon to the flora of two significant is for reasons. the We It is first report of duriei in the eastern Mediterranean. have /. documented new also populations of olympica formerly thought be /. to of great conservation concern. The only quillwort we have not yet found in Lebanon histrix forma subinermis known is (sometimes suhinermis /. as /. (Bory) Cesca & Peruzzi, see Bolin Because et al., 2008). this taxon, sensu Mouterde, has a complete velum, must include and duriei olympica. it /. /. It is likely that additional quillwort species could be found in the eastern we Mediterranean and hope that this note will help botanists be aware of these easily overlooked plants.—Lytton Musselman Mohammad and Al- S. J. Department Zein, of Biological Old Dominion Sciences, University, Norfolk Virginia 23529-0266, USA.