Botany 401!Vascular Flora of Wisconsin!• Pick up syllabus from one of the instructors"• Course webpage – ""http://botany.wisc.edu/courses/botany_401/"Botany 401!Vascular Flora of Wisconsin!1. Become familiar with a local flora: species diversity, biogeographical patterns, rarity, natural history, and ethnobotany"2. Learn skills of identifying organisms, using keys and manuals – for use anywhere in the world"3. Take “ownership” of a forest site and learn the woody and herbaceous plants that exist there"Objectives for the course"Vascular Flora of Wisconsin!X"All databased and barcoded"Vascular Flora of Wisconsin!158 families 758 genera 2570 species"Information source: Wisconsin State Herbarium"www.botany.wisc.edu/herbarium/"Native species = 1889"Arethusa bulbosa!Dragonʼs mouth "Introduced species = 681"Alliaria petiolata!Garlic mustard"A “Wordle”of plant families in Wisconsin and their size!Phyla of Land Plants"• Bryophyta - mosses, liverworts, hornworts"• Lycopodiophyta - spike & club mosses"• Polypodiophyta – ferns & horsetails"• Pinophyta - gymnosperms"• Magnoliophyta - angiosperms, flowering plants"Phyla of Land Plants"Marchantia - liverwort"• Bryophyta - mosses, liverworts, hornworts"• Lycopodiophyta - spike & club mosses"• Polypodiophyta – ferns & horsetails"• Pinophyta - gymnosperms"• Magnoliophyta - angiosperms, flowering plants"Phyla of Land Plants"Huperzia - club moss"• Bryophyta - mosses, liverworts, hornworts"• Lycopodiophyta - spike & club mosses"• Polypodiophyta – ferns & horsetails"• Pinophyta - gymnosperms"• Magnoliophyta - angiosperms, flowering plants"Phyla of Land Plants"Equisetum - horsetail"• Bryophyta - mosses, liverworts, hornworts"• Lycopodiophyta - spike & club mosses"• Polypodiophyta – ferns & horsetails"• Pinophyta - gymnosperms"• Magnoliophyta - angiosperms, flowering plants"Phyla of Land Plants"Adiantum - fern"• Bryophyta - mosses, liverworts, hornworts"• Lycopodiophyta - spike & club mosses"• Polypodiophyta – ferns & horsetails"• Pinophyta - gymnosperms"• Magnoliophyta - angiosperms, flowering plants"Phyla of Land Plants"Larix - larch"• Bryophyta - mosses, liverworts, hornworts"• Lycopodiophyta - spike & club mosses"• Polypodiophyta – ferns & horsetails"• Pinophyta - gymnosperms"• Magnoliophyta - angiosperms, flowering plants"Phyla of Land Plants"Cypripedium - orchid"• Bryophyta - mosses, liverworts, hornworts"• Lycopodiophyta - spike & club mosses"• Polypodiophyta – ferns & horsetails"• Pinophyta - gymnosperms"• Magnoliophyta - angiosperms, flowering plants"Floristic elements and provinces"The flora of WI can be divided into a number of elements, each of which shares a common type of current geographical range. The 4 most important are:!1. Alleghenian: group of species with ranges centered from Cumberland and Great Smoky mountains; dominant in deciduous forests; e.g. white pine, hemlock and basswood; ancient element extending back to the Tertiary!Floristic elements and provinces"The flora of WI can be divided into a number of elements, each of which shares a common type of current geographical range. The 4 most important are:!1. Alleghenian: group of species with ranges centered from Cumberland and Great Smoky mountains; dominant in deciduous forests; e.g. white pine, hemlock and basswood; ancient element extending back to the Tertiary!2. Ozarkian: species grouped around the Ozark Mts. of Arkansas and Missouri; more adapted to xeric or dry conditions, but similar to Alleghenian (many genera, but not species overlapping between the two elements); e.g. burr oak and black oak, hickory!Floristic elements and provinces"The flora of WI can be divided into a number of elements, each of which shares a common type of current geographical range. The 4 most important are:!1. Alleghenian: group of species with ranges centered from Cumberland and Great Smoky mountains; dominant in deciduous forests; e.g. white pine, hemlock and basswood; ancient element extending back to the Tertiary!2. Ozarkian: species grouped around the Ozark Mts. of Arkansas and Missouri; more adapted to xeric or dry conditions, but similar to Alleghenian (many genera, but not species overlapping between the two elements); e.g. burr oak and black oak, hickory!3. Prairie: species whose ranges includes all or part of existing prairies e.g. needle grass, side oats!Floristic elements and provinces"The flora of WI can be divided into a number of elements, each of which shares a common type of current geographical range. The 4 most important are:!1. Alleghenian: group of species with ranges centered from Cumberland and Great Smoky mountains; dominant in deciduous forests; e.g. white pine, hemlock and basswood; ancient element extending back to the Tertiary!2. Ozarkian: species grouped around the Ozark Mts. of Arkansas and Missouri; more adapted to xeric or dry conditions, but similar to Alleghenian (many genera, but not species overlapping between the two elements); e.g. burr oak and black oak, hickory!3. Prairie: species whose ranges includes all or part of existing prairies e.g. needle grass, side oats!4. Boreal: species w/ranges from Alaska to Upper Great Lakes, many species circumboreal (with ranges in Eurasia) e.g. tamarack, white spruce, and balsam fir!Floristic elements and provinces"These floristic elements are not distributed uniformly throughout the state. There are 2 floristic provinces:!Prairie-Forest - SW Wisconsin"most Prairie & Ozarkian, some Alleghenian elements"Northern Hardwoods - NE Wisconsin"most Boreal elements, some Alleghenian elements"Floristic elements and provinces"The 2 provinces are separated by a narrow band or zone: tension zone which is based on the upper and lower limits of the southwest and northeastern species, respectively.!Golden cassia" Wild indigo"Ramʼs head"ladyslipper"Stemless"ladyslipper"Plant Communities"Within each province, there are ecological (not floristic) assemblages of species called plant communities. John Curtis in the Vegetation of Wisconsin, described about 35 communities. We will briefly look at a few of these:!Plant Communities"Within each province, there are ecological (not floristic) assemblages of species called plant communities. John Curtis in the Vegetation of Wisconsin, described about 35 communities.