Floristic surprises in North America North of Mexico

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Contrary to recurring perceptions that the flora of North America north of Mexico has been fully explored and catalogued, the rate of on-going discoveries has remained remarkably constant for much of the last century and shows no evidence of tapering off. This is particularly evident in western and southeastern North America, where dramatic new species and even monotypic genera are still coming to light, even along highways and near major cities. Furthermore, the same level of on-going discovery also characterizes other aspects of floristic information, including the distribution of rare species and the occurrence of invasive pest plants. The majority of on-going discoveries are dependent on individuals and organizations operating outside of academia, with declining opportunities for formal training in floristics or access to scientific expertise when complex situations are encountered. This situation is connected to the perception of floristics as rote data compilation, when it is in fact better understood in the context of a massive attempt to model biodiversity, resulting in an intricate suite of nested hypotheses that are constantly being tested and modified. The incompleteness of our floristic knowledge takes on critical significance in an era when decisions are being made that will irrevocably determine the fate of our national floristic heritage. The cost of this ignorance can cut multiple ways, increasing the risk of misplaced mitigation efforts as well as avoidable loss of irreplaceable biodiversity. Although the magnitude of the task is daunting, significant advances are achievable in a collaborative framework. which would yield a vastly improved floristic knowledge base for informed decision making. Underlying much of our current land-use management planning, legislation, funding allocations, and hiring decisions is the assumption that the flora of North America north of Mexico has been fully explored, catalogued, and mapped, at least to the extent that is needed for informed decision-making. Or, to the extent that exceptions are allowed, it is assumed that 1) such knowledge accumulates in the form of static data sets, descriptive rather than truly scientific in nature, and that 2) the existing academic infrastructure is adequately addressing the gaps in our floristic knowledge. This paper sets out to challenge these assumptions, as well as the equally common perception that floristic surveys inevitably represent a threat to private landowners. The first half of the paper provides testimony to the wealth and diversity of ongoing floristic surprises in North America, whereas the second half addresses the factors that influence these discoveries and the resultant implications. <br> The majority of statistics and examples that form the basis of this paper are derived from the author's personal expertise and vascular plant focus. The resultant western North American bias should not, however, obscure the fact that this region is a rich source of ongoing novelties. An effort has nevertheless been made to include examples from other geographic areas and representing other groups traditionally studied by botanists: bryophytes, algae, fungi, and lichens. The proportional representation of examples should not be taken as an accurate reflection of actual discoveries among geographic areas and plant groups, or of their significance to science or land management issues.

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Reference Code: A00ERT01IDUS <br>

Full Citation: Ertter, B. 2000. Floristic surprises in North America North of Mexico. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 87(1): 81-109. <br>

Location: FLORISTIC SHELF – GENERAL; ELECTRONIC FILE - BOTANY: OTHER <br>