| Scope and method of study. Between July, 1993 and July, 1997, three taxonomic investigations--floristic and descriptive--were conducted. The first involved a systematic collection of plants in the McCurtain County Wilderness Area, a botanically rich area in the Ouachita Mountains in which no floristic survey had been conducted. The second investigation involved the examination of herbarium sheets, the preparation of a DELTA-based character list, and the generation of technical descriptions of 17 families of Oklahoma pteridophytes. The third study involved the examination of herbarium specimens deposited in Oklahoma herbaria and the preparation of taxonomic descriptions and keys for Oklahoma members of the Geraniaceae and Loasaceae. These treatments along with those of the pteridophyte families will be incorporated in the forthcoming manual on the flora of Oklahoma.; Findings and conclusions. In the field study, 1200 accessions representing 95 families, 236 genera, and 359 species were collected. Three DELTA-based character lists for pteridophytes were developed. From these 17 family descriptions were generated. Descriptions were prepared for 2 genera and 7 species in the Geraniaceae and 2 genera and 5 species in the Loasaceae. |
