While working as a graduate research assistant with the Center of Excellence for Field Biology and the Southeastern Grasslands Institute at Austin Peay State University (APSU), Thomas Murphy identified four new species of Clematis and one species that had been forgotten about for over a century. He did this through a form of scientific gardening in conjunction with observations of herbarium specimens, field work, and collaborations with Jesse Harris from the University of Colorado - Boulder who provided DNA analysis.
Exciting New Discovery: New Species of Beaksedge Described from Southeastern Grasslands
Project Update: SGI Field Team Finds 16 Rare Plant Species in Tennessee Valley Authority Powerline Corridors on the Cumberland Plateau
The “Plants, Pollinators, and Powerlines” study we are conducting with our partners at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Mississippi Entomological Museum, and the Electric Power Research Institute was revived in 2021 after being on hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. I’ve been busy the last month identifying specimens and analyzing botanical data from our 2021 field season.
Tales from the Crypt – Extinct Plants of the Southeastern Grasslands
I’m an optimist at heart, which makes the topic of extinction a sobering contrast to my personality. Yet, extinct plants have captured my imagination for some time. . . . When I would attend conferences or talk with other botanists, I would often ask “What extinct plants are known from your State?” I was surprised to discover most botanists had no idea.
The Importance of Rights-of-Way to Sun-Loving Grassland Species
The flat to gently rolling surface of the Cumberland Plateau has grasslands, yet they are hard to come by today. Once common and widespread, these formerly open pine and oak savannas, prairies, glades, and acidic open wetlands have largely disappeared, and with them many of the species they supported. For this reason, the Tennessee Valley Authority is working with SGI to support an inventory and assessment of Rights-of-Way (ROWs) in the Cumberland Plateau, and field work began May 2019.
The Flora and Rare Plants of the Clear Fork Riverscour on the Cumberland Plateau
May 2019 marked the kick-off of SGI’s project exploring and documenting riverscour grasslands in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area along the rugged and beautiful Clear Fork River. This work, funded by the National Park Service, will document the flora and plant communities of open habitats in the riparian corridor as well as map populations of rare and invasive species.