| Scope and method of study. This multi-parted dissertation comprises work in three different areas of the discipline of plant taxonomy or systematics: taxonomic treatments, morphometrics, and vascular plant surveys. In Part I, a character list was generated for the Asteraceae (Compositae) using the program DELTA (DEscriptive Language for TAxonomy) to generate genera and species descriptions for the Flora of Oklahoma project. The study outlined in Part II details a morphometric investigation of the taxa of the genus Pappophorum (Poaceae) to resolve the number of species within the genus. A survey, outlined in Part III, of the vascular plants of the Boehler Seeps and Sandhills Preserve, an ecologically unique site that contains a number of rare communities and taxa, in Atoka County, Oklahoma was conducted in 1994-1995.;Findings and conclusions. A character list containing 1,511 characters was generated and used to develop genera and species descriptions for members of the Asteraceae. Sample descriptions of Achillea millefolium and Ambrosia trifida are included. A morphometric analysis of 678 taxa of Pappophorum revealed a complex pattern of variation. NTSYS was used to analyze the morphometric data; based on this analysis, there are 7 species in the genus. The floristic survey of Boehler Seeps and Sandhills Preserve revealed 84 families; 225 genera and 345 species in the 235 ha preserve. Twenty-four rare taxa occur at the site, including: Quercus incana, Eriocaulon kornickianum, Iris virginica, Paronychia drummondii, Drosera brevifolia, Penstemon murrayanus, and Hottonia inflata. |
