Phyiologia (June 1991) 70(6):400-403. CAREX EXILIS DEWEY-(CYPERACEAE) NEW TO ALABAMA Steve L. Orzell Florida Natural Areas Inventory: 1018 Thomasvilk Road, Suite 200-C, Tallahassee, Florida 32303 U.S.A. and Ednin L. Bridges Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, 2600 Blair,Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32399 U.S.A. ABSTRACT Care+ e d i s Dewey is reported new to Alabama from Mobile and Baldwin counties. Its habitat in Alabama is discussed, and related to Caret ezilis habitats in adjacent southern Mississippi. KEY Vt,'ORDS: Carez erilis, Cyperaceae, Alabama, seepage herb bogs d r e z exiiis Dewey (section Siellulatae) is primarily a north temperate boreal sedge, occurring in fens and bogs from Delaware acd Maryland north along the Atlantic coast to Keu-ioundland, and inland from Ken York to Minnesota, Michigan, and northwestern Ontario (Reznicek d. Ball 1980; Bryson, el al. 1988). All of the previous records south of Delaware are disjunct occurrences on the coastal plain of North Carolina (Moore County), and six southern Mississippi counties (Greene, George, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, and Stone) (Bryson, et al. 1980; Reznicek & Ball 1980). Our recent discovery of C. ezilis from Mobile County, Alabama is therefore not unexpected, since it is known from three adjacent Mississippi counties. Our Baldwin County collection was somewhat less predictable since the extensive alluvial plain associated with the rivers entering Mobile Bay may represent a significant phytogeographic barrier for seepage adaptid species. The collection data for our ~ l a b a m aspecimens are as follows: Carez eziiis Dewey (Cyperaceae). CNITED STATES. Alabama: Baldwin Co.: Hillside streamhead seepage herb bog on S side of US 90, 2.2 mi W of Orzell kr Bridges: Carer cxilis new to Alabama Seminole, ca. 0.5 air mi S\V of Seminole Church, ca. 3.9 mi \I' of Perdido River and Florida state line; EH, SWQ, SEQ: KWQ, Sec. 18, T6S: R6E, Elsanor i.5' Quad., 30' 31' 31" K, 87' 30' 30" W. Eler. 50-65 it., 28 March 1991, Orzell E/ Bridges 16192 (TEX, MICH); 8 April 1991, Orzell €4 Bridges 16287 (TEX, VDB, MICH). Mobile Co.: Hillside seepage shrub-herb bog on S side of Beverly-Jefferies Rd (Co Rd 96), 7.1 mi W' of int. US 45 in Citronelle, 1.3 mi W of Ramey Rd and 1.6 mi E of Escatawpa River bridge; NWQ, SWQ, NEQ: KEQ: Sec. 2; TIN, R4W, Citronelle West 7.5' Quad., 31' 04' 49" K, 88" 21' 04" W. Elev. 160-180 ft., 8 April 1991, Orzell & Bridges 16275 (TEX, VDB, hlICH). This exceptionally distinct member of section Stellulatae is easily recognized by its large, terminal inflorescences and densely tufted involute leaves (Reznicek & Ball 1980). Our Alabama specimens fall well within the range of morphological variation noted for the species in Reznicek & Ball (1980). The culms of the Alabama plants tend to be at the larger end of the range for the species, generally from 40-60 cm tall. The infructescences range from 10-26 mm long, averaging 18 mm long. The typical infructescence is staminate for the lo~ver60% of its length and pistillate for the upper 40%, although a continuous range of variation from this mean to completely dioecious staminate and pistillate infructescences are present within a single population. The perigynia are generally 3-4 mm long and 1.5 mm ride, with beak and nerring characters typical for the species as described by Reznicek 8: Ball (1980). .4t both of the Alabama sites Carez ~xilisis restricted to acidic, sapric, organic muck, which is constantly saturated by copious, oligot.rophic, telluric groundwater. Carez ezilis is restricted to the muckiest soils of these bogs, on spongy peaty substrates, frequently occurring at or near permanent seep spring runs within the hillside seepage-bogs. In these microhabitats it is often the dominanf species, a situation also noted by Bryson, el al. (1988) for C. etilis in adjacent southern Mississippi. The microhabitat for C, exilis at the Alabama sites is nearly identical to that described for Mississippi by Bryson, et. al. (1988). The major difference is that both of the Alabama sites are from slightly sloping hillside seepage bogs whereas the majority of the Mississippi sites are from nearly level deep mucky peat, quaking, streamhead seepage bogs (Bryson, ef al. 1988; Orzell & Bridges, personal observation). Although the topo-edaphic-hydrologic conditions for quaking streamhead bogs occur in southern Alabama, the vast majority of these quakir~gbogs are overgrown with semi-evergreen broadleaf shrubs and trees, due to long term fire suppression (Orzell kz Bridges, personal obserx-ation). In contrast, many of the same habitats (quaking bogs) in adjacent southern Mississippi are being maintained through prescribed burning. Taxa strongly associated with Care+ ezilis at both Alabama sites include Rhynchospora stenophylla Chzpm., R. macm (Clarke) Small; Xyris clrapmanii Bridges &. Orzell, A'. scabrifolia Harper, and Lachnocaulon digynum K6m. June 1991 Other associates which occur at both sites include Chaptalia tomentosa Vent., Eriocaulon tezense Kern., Helenium breuijolium (Kutt.) A. Gray, Pkguic~ i primulifiora! a Sanacenia leucophylla Raf., S. purpurea L., and Utriculario subulata L. At the Mobile County site other associates include Bidens mitis (hlichx.) Sherff, Juncw trigonocarpus Steud., Utricdaria juncea Vahl, and Zigadenw glaberrimus Michx. Lindera subcoriacea B.E. Wofford, although not closely associated with C. ezilis, also occurs at. the Mobile County site (Bridges b- OrzeU 1989), and was noted by Brgson, et al. (1988) at fourteen of the sixteen Cares ezilis sites in Alississippi. At the Baldwin County site other taxa which occur with C. ezilis include Aristida virgata Trin., Arnoglossum sulcatum (Fern)., Centella asiatica (L.) Urban, Drosera tracyi Macfar., Eriocaulon com. . pressum Lam., net coriacea (Pursh) Chapm., Magnolia virginiana L., Pleea latifolia ienuifolia Michx., Pogonia ophioglossoides (L.) Ker., Rhy~~chospora (Ell.) Thomas, Smilaz Iaurijolia L., and Syngonanthus fiatiidulus (hlichx.) Huhl. The apparently greater diversity of associated taxa at the Baldwin County site is likely due t o the increased flowering resulting from a growing season burn in 1990. Our observations at both Alabama sites and several sites in southern Mississippi suggest some differences in taxa associated with Carez ezilis, from those noted by Bryson, et al. (1988) in Mississippi. Carez turgescens Torr., a fidel associate of C. ezilis in Mississippi (Bryson, ei al. 1988, Orzell & Bridges, personal observation) was not closely associated ri.;h C. ezilis at the dlabama sites, despite the fact that it occurs at the Alabama sites. In contrast, we found Rhynchospora stenophylla, R. macra, Xyris chapmanii, X. scabrijolia, and less frequently Lachnocaulon digynum t o be the most constant closely associated species at sites u7esurveyed in both states. With the exception of R. sfenophylla and X. chupmanii, all are listed as taxa which may occur among populbtions of Carez ezilis by Bryson, el al. (1988). Xyris chapmanii is not listed by Bryson, e l al. (1988) since it was recently described as a new species (Bridges & Orzell 1990). The discovery of Carer exilis from southern Alabama, although not totally unexpected, further emphasizes the need for systematic field work in specialized and restricted habitats in the Gulf Coastal Plain. Despite the fact that nearly 1,900 taxa have been documented from Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama (Lelong 1988a, 1988b), and the recent reports of many noteworthy and new taxa from these counties (Kral 1973, 1976, 1981; Lelong 1988a, 1988b) these counties, and others in adjacent states, still have the potkntia~t o produce phytogeographically significant records (Bridges & Orzell 1989). ACKKOIVLEDGMEKTS \We wish to thank Guy Nesom and Carol Todzia at TEX for their helpful OrzeU & Bridges: Carez ezilis new to Alabama review comments. This paper is published in honor of t11e retirement of Distinguished Professor Eiobert H, hlohlenbrock, Department of Botany, Southern Illinois University. LITERATURE CITED Bridges, E.L. 6: S.L. Orzell. 1989. Lindera subcoriacea (Lauraceae) new to -4labama. Phytologia 67:214-216. . 1990. Xyris chapmanii, a new species from the Guli coastal plain of the southeastern United States. Phytologia 68~382-389. Bryson, C.T., \?'. McDearman, & K.L. Gordon. 1988. Carez en'lis Dewey (Cyperaceae) in hlississippi bogs. Sida 13:171-175. Kral, R. 1973. Some notes on the flora of the southeastern states, particularly Alabama and middle Tennessee. Rhodora 75:366-410. . 1976. Additions to some notes on the flora of the southern states: particularly Alabama and middle Tennessee. Rhodora 58:438-456. . 1981. Further additions to some notes on the flora of the southern states, particularly Alabama and middle. Tennessee. Rhodora 83:301315. Lelong, h4.G. 1988a. Koteworthy monocots of Mobile and Baldwin counties, Alabaqa. Sida 13:lOl-113. . 1988b. Noteworthy dicots of Mobile and Baldwin counties, Alabama. Sida 13:223-240. Reznicek, A.A. 8 P.W.Ball. 1980. The taxonomy of Carexsection Stellulatae in Korth America, north of Mexico. Contrib. Univ. Mich. Herb. 14:153203.