Champlain beachgrass (Ammophila champlainensis) was described by Seymour in 1966 as endemic to the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York. Some later authors have recognized it while others have not, or they have treated it at a different rank. In order to resolve the issue of the recognition and appropriate rank, nine characters, including those suggested by previous authors as important to distinguish this taxon, were measured in 457 specimens from throughout the northeastern North American range of Ammophila. A reduced data set of 281 specimens and seven characters was studied using: (1) analysis of variance to determine optimal characters for differentiating geographical groups; (2) scatter plot analysis of optimal characters; (3) principal component analysis to investigate the major trends in pattern of variation without character weighting; (4) discriminant analysis to determine the extent of differentiation using a weighted formula; and (5) linear regression to reveal trends in variation related to size of associated water bodies. The analyses failed to clearly separate the plants from Lake Champlain from other Ammophila populations. However, the Lake Champlain plants were the most discrete of nine natural geographic groups, followed by plants from Lac Saint-Jean, and then plants from the Atlantic coast. None of the geographic groups was sufficiently different to justify recognition of distinct taxa due to the extensive overlap in measurements of characters. Populations adjacent to smaller water bodies, where dunes tend to be smaller and less active, tend to have smaller plants with smaller parts. Plants from Lake Champlain, including those described and identified as A. champlainensis, and all other northeastern populations of Ammophila, are best treated as the single species A. breviligulata.

Western New York has experienced extensive agricultural land abandonment since the early 1900s. The objectives of this study were to (1) sample plots representing a chronosequence to describe the stages of old-field succession and (2) follow these plots for six years to track year-to-year variation in species composition. Dominant species in the early stages (30 years following abandonment) of succession were Solidago spp. (41% cover) and Rhamnus cathartica (20%). By mid-succession (50 years following abandonment), Rhamnus cathartica (39%) and Fraxinus americana (39%) became more important. Dominant late successional (70 years following abandonment) species included Fagus grandifolia (34%), Ostrya virginiana (24%), and Prunus serotina (15%). Every iteration of sampling included unique species, indicating that new species were continually entering the site, but were not successfully establishing. This pattern mirrors the initial floristic composition model of old-field succession. However, after several years of canopy closure, the stands appeared to enter an understory-reinitiation stage, which allowed new species to establish and form a mature forest of species that were absent from the early and mid-succession area.

The herbaceous vegetation was studied at one-, three-, and twelve-year intervals following clearing of a pine plantation at the Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve, Mason County, Illinois. The annual species Setaria faberi (giant foxtail), Bidens bipinnata (Spanish needles), and Digitaria sanguinalis (crabgrass) dominated the first year. The native perennial grass Dichanthelium villosissimum (hairy panic grass) along with the exotic species Mollugo verticillata (carpetweed) were prominent the third year while Diodia teres (buttonweed) and Eragrostis trichodes (sand love grass) dominated the 12th year. Many native species commonly associated with dry sand prairies were present by the 12th year, but some exotic and native weedy species were still present.

Sayres Pond in Champaign County, Ohio, is a characteristic prairie fen remnant. The site harbors an assemblage of wetland plants that are indicative of their fen habitat and at the same time uncommon in west-central Ohio. Although not as species-rich as some larger remnant fens in the region, floristic diversity at Sayres Pond is quite high considering its small area (approximately 1.6 ha surveyed). A total of 102 species in 40 families and 80 genera were documented from Sayres Pond during this study. The flora has a distinct northern component but shows affinities to wet prairies and marshes of the Midwest and Southeast. Six state-listed rare plant species have been reported from the site since 1970, although only three were observed during this study. Comparison to a previous study indicates that over a 27-year period woody species encroached considerably into the fen meadow. Sixty-five of the 120 species (54%) previously reported from the site were not found during this study. The reasons for this loss are not fully understood, but the transition from open meadow vegetation to closed-canopy shrub carr has likely been a major factor in species loss at Sayres Pond.

During studies of the Campanulaceae for the Flora of Veracruz (Mexico), we found three new records for the state. The resurrection of Centropogon oaxacanus is proposed, and C. wilburii is considered as a heterotypic synonym. Both names were previously known only from the type localities in Oaxaca. Lobelia caeciliae was previously known only from the holotype, which was collected in Chiapas. Lobelia tatea reaches its northernmost limit in the submontane forests of Veracruz. For each taxon, the distinguishing characters and similar species are discussed.

Species of the alga Vaucheria occur throughout the world growing in and on the surface of marine, brackish, and freshwater sediments. This resilient genus has the ability to survive extreme environmental stresses by depositing hardy, dormant “seed banks” of propagules, mostly commonly oospheres, into the sediments. The present study investigates the effect of extended periods of anoxia on the survival of Vaucheria propagules. Sediment samples from a flooded riparian zone in Ashford, Connecticut, a habitat where multiple species of Vaucheria have been known to grow, were placed in anoxic Bio-Bag^TM chambers for 15 months. Our results demonstrate that three species, V. aversa, V. uncinata, and V. undulata, are able to survive at least five months of anoxia, with V. aversa and V. uncinata surviving one year lacking O₂.