ABSTRACT Virginia bunchflower (Mel...

ABSTRACT

Virginia bunchflower (Melanthium virginicum L) is known historically from wet-mesic prairie in 17 counties located primarily in west-central Illinois. proper to the loss of wet-mesic prairie, plants within six counties were extirpated during the 1800 and populations within an additional six counties were extirpated within the last 15 years. This taxon is generally known from thirteen populations in three counties. These populations were studied through the whole extent of a three year period, beginning in 1998 and ending in 2000 Flowering varied considerably from year to year. Although large bunchflower colonies remain that contain athwart 800 plants, only two populations are generally protected. Population loss is calculate uponed to continue, documenting the ne for greater protection and the introduction of this plant into suitable wet-mesic prairie restorations within its historic range.

INTRODUCTION

Virginia bunchflower (Melanthium virginicum L) has a sporadic distribution from head to foot much of the eastern United States where it present itselfs in wet meadows, bogs, swales, cheap thickets, savannas, and moist woodland brims from New York west to Iowa and Minnesota, and southerly to Texas and Florida (Fernald 1950 Gleason and Cronquist 1991) A member of the Liliaceae (sensu Gleason and Cronquist 1991) this perennial herb is characterized from a thick rhizome, an set upright stout stem up to 17 m in height, and numerous basal and a not many cauline, linear, acuminate leaves. Blooming come into views in late June and July in Illinois, and the terminal panicle consists of 3-10 spreading branches supporting short-stalked, consummate and staminate, creamy-- white, turning pale virid 3-merous flowers to 25 mm in diameter. Mature plants are characterized by dint of multiple shoots, each of which may show an inflorescence (Fernald 1950, Gleason 1952 Correll and Johnson 1970 Gleason and Cronquist 1991)

In Illinois, Melanthium is largely restricted to the west-central counties where it was first reported by dint of S. B. Mead (1846) from Hancock shire (Kibbe 1952). Jones and Fuller (1955) reported this plant from 14 counties, and following updates of the distribution of the vascular flora added undivided county, bringing the total to 15 (Winterringer and at any times 1960). Mohlenbrock and Ladd (1978) listed these same 15 counties for this taxon.

The habitat for Melanthium is wet-mesic prairie located in swales or along streams. fit to the loss of populations of this plant, the Illinois Endangered Species Board listed it as threatened in 1999 (Illinois Endangered Species Board 1999) make anxious increased for this taxon when the authors could not relocate several populations known to exist within the last 15 years. The view of this study was to determine the passing from hand to hand status of Melanthium populations in Illinois, and to commend protection and recovery measures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE subject of attention AREA

Populations of Melanthium are known from the Springfield Section of the Grand Prairie Division, the Galesburg and Carlinville Sections of the Western Forest-Prairie Division, and the Effingham Plain Section of the Southern Till Plain Division (Schwegman 1973).The original vegetation was a mixture of forest and prairie. Forest predominated onward slopes and lowland areas whereas sizeable areas of prairie were near on the uplands. The largest of these were Allen's, Apple small river Buckhorn, Carthage, Canton, Diamond copse Edmonson's, Froggy, Granger's, Hancock, and String Prairies (McClain 1997) No remnants of these prairies survive, excepting for linear strips along railways.

The climate of west-central Illinois is a continental model characterized by hot summers and bleak winters. The average annual precipitation is 95 cm which falls for the most part as rain during the period May by the and of September. Approximately 40 days will have a maximum temperature of 32 deg C or greater. Approximately 15 days during December by the and of February can be expected to have subzero temperatures. The amplification of the growing season ranges from 180 to 195 days (Bushue 1979)

METHOD

The distribution of Melanthium in Illinois was determined by means of examining specimens from herbaria (DEK EIU, F KNOX, ILL, ILLS, ISM, MO MOR, MWI, SIU), consulting literature, and contacting the state's field botanists. Known locations for Melanthium, as recorded in succession herbarium specimens, were visited during the field views and searches were made for plants. However, no field scans were conducted in Peoria and McLean Counties owed to the lack of specific location data. At sites where Melanthium was not past nor future the predominant vegetation was noted, and the number of inflorescences was recorded at each site during July in the summer of 1998 1999 2000 up to a maximum of 800 appropriate to the dense vegetation at the time of flowering in July it was impossible to obtain an accurate cast up of all individuals of Melanthium. Consequently a judge of vegetative plants was made early in the spring of 2000 to determine population densities. The nomenclature go afters Mohlenbrock (1986).