Piratebush (Buckleya distichophylla, Santalaceae) is a rare dioecious and hemiparasitic shrub endemic to the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Previous studies on piratebush suggest sexual reproductive deficiency as a possible explanation for the rare and scattered distribution of piratebush and a concern for subsequent population decline. To further investigate the reproductive biology of piratebush, we examined sex ratio and flowering phenology in the densest population of piratebush, found on Poor Mountain in southwest Virginia. Sex ratio data were collected through field surveys along ecological transects. Results show a male-biased sex ratio (61:39) of flowering individuals, with 15% nonflowering. Size data confirm significantly smaller size for nonflowering individuals (p < 0.01), suggesting combined characteristics of size and nonflowering as an indicator of juvenility. Floral phenology data were recorded from 23 males and 20 females in varied representative elevation and aspect gradients. Flower abundance was male-dominant by >24:1. Floral phenology showed individual variation, with males beginning and ending approximately 1 wk before females, but considerable synchrony for the bulk of flower production for about 2 wk from 4 May to 16 May. Average high and low ground surface temperatures from the site are also reported. The widely male-dominant sex ratio and floral abundance, as well as variation in flower production by females, underscore the importance of ongoing investigations into the reproductive and regenerative health of this rare and scattered species.

Understory plants in temperate deciduous forests are dependent on a spring window of high light availability prior to canopy leafout. Aesculus glabra Willd. (Ohio buckeye, Hippocastanaceae) produces leaves several weeks before other trees in the same habitat. Aesculus glabra canopy is hypothesized to reduce the spring high-light period, and thus to have a negative effect on understory plants, especially annual and spring-ephemeral herbs. Understory community composition (herbs plus woody plants <0.5-m height) and environment were compared under A. glabra– and non–A. glabra-dominated canopy in May and July in a mesic, secondary forest in northeastern Indiana. The understory under A. glabra canopy had lower cover and observed species richness in both seasons, and ordination indicated differences in species composition in both seasons. Annual and summer-green herbs and woody plants had lower cover under A. glabra in May, but spring ephemerals did not differ. Summer-green herbs and woody plants had lower cover under A. glabra in July. Aesculus glabra canopy reduced spring light availability, decreased spring soil temperature, slightly increased soil phosphorus, increased July (but not May) soil moisture, and had no effect on soil nitrate. Aesculus glabra litter extracts reduced germination and seedling growth of Raphanus sativus L. but not Lactuca sativa L., while soils from under A. glabra did not affect germination of Phlox divaricata L. The primary effect of A. glabra on the understory appears to be via lower light availability and soil temperature in spring.

The federally endangered Schweinitz's sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii) is endemic to the Carolina Piedmont. This study investigates the reproductive biology of this sunflower to better understand the two main methods of propagation: sexual reproduction by seed and asexual reproduction by tuberous rhizome. The researchers randomly collected the mature and senescent heads (capitula) and recorded the numbers of filled and unfilled cypselae in the fall of 2012. Analyses of the effect of the use of gibberellic acids (GA) and the use of a mix of charred soil and aboveground organic matter on seed germination were conducted. The GA treatment at 1,000 mg L⁻¹ significantly increased germination. Cypselae planted in a mix of soil and aboveground matter that had been burned for 30 min germinated significantly better compared to a control group. To study asexual reproduction, tuberous rhizomes were collected and the effect of a cold treatment was tested as a second part of this study. No shoots formed on the untreated tuberous rhizomes, whereas 100% of the cold-treated tuberous rhizomes formed new shoots; furthermore, shoot length was significantly greater for rhizomes chilled for 60 d compared to rhizomes chilled for 30 d. Both methods of reproduction are important to consider in efforts to restore this endangered species.

Canoparmelia caroliniana is among the most common macrolichens in southeastern North America, occurring on the bark of trees in habitats from urban centers to pristine wilderness. Canoparmelia amabilis was distinguished from C. caroliniana on the basis of differences in the color of the lower surface and morphology of the isidia. Recent fieldwork revealed previously overlooked morphologically variability within C. caroliniana, prompting a revision based on morphology, ecology, and analyses of nrITS sequence data. These data do not support the distinction between C. amabilis and C. caroliniana, and indicate that C. amabilis should be placed in synonymy with C. caroliniana. Analyses of nrITS sequence data confirmed the monophyly of C. caroliniana (including C. amabilis) as well as that of C. cryptochlorophaea and C. texana. A lectotype is selected for C. amabilis because the holotype is presumed to be lost.

Thlaspi alliaceum L. (Brassicaceae) is a weedy, annual, European species of ruderal habitats known from 14 states in the eastern USA. It first was collected in North America in 1947 in Pennsylvania, although most references cite a 1956 collection from North Carolina. The species now has been vouchered in 23 Pennsylvania counties. Populations frequently consist of thousands of individuals. Despite its frequency, Thlaspi alliaceum is underreported in published works on the Pennsylvania flora.

Miscanthus × giganteus Greef & Deu (giant miscanthus) is a perennial C₄ grass grown worldwide for bioenergy production; however, there is concern about whether it can produce high yields on marginal soils in a temperate climate. The goals of this study were to determine whether giant miscanthus could establish and produce yields in Western North Carolina comparable to those in other regions and to determine whether fertilization and biochar could improve yields. At two field sites, Mills River (650 m) and Valle Crucis (830 m), fertilizer (0 and 100 kg NPK ha⁻¹) and biochar (0 and 15 t ha⁻¹) treatments were employed in a fully randomized block design. Genetically identical rhizomes were planted in spring of 2012 and allowed to grow for two growing seasons. No treatment effects were found for gas exchange, but rates were higher at Mills River than at Valle Crucis. There were no biochar or fertilizer effects on yields. First-year yields were greater at Mills River than at Valle Crucis (2.93 and 1.77 Mg dry weight [DW] ha⁻¹, respectively). Overwinter survival rates were 100% at both field sites. Second-year yields were approximately 10× greater than in the first year (27.68 Mg DW ha⁻¹ at Mills River vs. 30.12 Mg DW ha⁻¹ at Valle Crucis). The high survival and growth rates during the first 2 yr demonstrate that this bioenergy crop is capable of growing in Western North Carolina and producing yields comparable to those in other areas of the country where this crop has been grown.

Japewiella dollypartoniana is described as new to science based on material from the Appalachian Mountains and adjacent regions of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. It is distinguished from other species of Japewia and Japewiella by its sorediate thallus and production of norstictic acid. Placement in Japewiella is supported by characters from fertile populations discovered in the Unicoi Mountains of western North Carolina which have apothecia that resemble those of Japewia tornoënsis (Nyl.) Tønsberg but differ in having a well-developed proper exciple and ascospores without a thick, gelatinous sheath.

Yatskievych, George. 2013. Steyermark's Flora of Missouri, Volume 3. Revised Ed. Dicots, Fabaceae (Subfamily Faboideae) through Zygophyllaceae. Missouri Botanical Garden Press (PO Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166-0299) in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation (PO Box 180, Jefferson City, Missouri 65201-0180). xvii 1382 p. 194 plates of black-and-white line drawings; 20 figures, including 27 individual black and white photographs; 798 distribution maps. Hardcover, $65.00. ISBN 978-0-915279-13-5.

Spira, Timothy P. 2015. Waterfalls & Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 304 p. Softcover, $24.00. ISBN 978-1-4696-2264-4. 170 color plates, 22 drawings, 1 illustration, 31 maps.

Jeffries, Stephanie B. and Thomas R. Wentworth. 2014. Exploring Southern Appalachian Forests: An Ecological Guide to 30 Great Hikes in the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 304 p. Cloth $45.00, $22.00. ISBN 978-1-4696-1979-8, ISBN 978-1-4696-1820-3. 49 black and white illustrations, 14 drawings, 31 maps, 1 table.

Molloy, Johnny. 2013. Hiking North Carolina's National Forests, 50 Can't-Miss Trail Adventures in the Pisgah, Nantahala, Uwharrie, and Croatan National Forests. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 244 p. $45.00, $22.00. ISBN 978-1-4696-1166-2, ISBN 978-1-4696-1167-9, $22.00. 51 black and white illustrations, 54 maps, 1 table.