Phytoneuron 2012-6: 1-4. PORTULACA UMBRATICOLA (PORTULACACEAE) LOUISIANA IN R Michael MacRoberts and Barbara MacRoberts H. Bog Research, 740 Columbia, Shreveport, Louisiana 71104 Museum Herbarium, of Life Sciences Louisiana State University-Shreveport Shreveport, Louisiana 71115 [email protected] ABSTRACT A Portulaca umbraticola Kunth documented as occurring in Louisiana. small population is has been found in sandy soil on the Red River floodplain in Shreveport. KEY WORDS: Portulaca umbraticola. Portulacaceae, Louisiana We known recently discovered a population of Portulaca umbraticola Kunth, also as Chinese-hat or Wing-pod Purslane, in open sandy soils along the Southern Extension of the Clyde E. Pant Memorial Parkway on the Red River floodplain in Shreveport, Louisiana (Figs 1, 2, 3) and report it here as the first documented occurrence of the species in the state. The population of about 50 plants is restricted to a small area (ca. 0.1 ha). This area, which is adjacent to a bicycle frail and We the Parkway, frequently mowed. searched several other similar areas on the Red River is floodplain but without result. Associated species included Cenchrus spinifex, Chamaesyce maculata, Chrysopsis pilosa, Coronopus didymus, Cynodon dactylon, Eragrostis minor, Kallstroemia parviflora, Mollugo verticillata, Oenothera laciniata, Paspalum notatum, Polygonum aviculare, Portulaca oleracea, andTribulus i Voucher. Louisiana. Bossier Parish: Shreveport near Southern Extension of the Clyde E. Fant Memorial Parkway centered on 32° 28' 41.00" N, 93° 41' 28.41" W, at about 48 meters & elevation, 20 Nov and Dec 20 MacRoberts MacRoberts 8929, S931 (LSU, LSUS, UNCC). 1 1 1, Portulaca umbraticola was reported for Louisiana in the Flora of North America survey of Portulaca (Matthews 2003). It was not shown as occurring in Louisiana, however, in the No accompanying map. one else has reported this species from Louisiana (MacRoberts 1989; & & USDA Thomas Allen 1998; Kartesz Meacham 2005; Plants 2011; Nature Serve 2011). we my Consequently contacted Matthews regarding this matter, and he replied: "I looked at original distribution maps and do not have a dot for Louisiana. The easiest explanation that made a I is I ... mistake, and that distinctly possible. With that explanation, then your collection does extend the is distribution into Louisiana" (Matthews pers. comm. e-mail, 20 Nov. 2011). Matthews gave us a list we of the herbaria from which he had obtained specimens of Louisiana Portulaca and checked these collections either by e-mail or on-line search. None had P. umbraticola specimens from Louisiana. The closest location Matthews gives to Louisiana Panola County, Texas, which adjacent to is is Caddo Parish, Louisiana (pers. comm. e-mail, 29 Nov. 2011). The dot map in Turner et al. (2003) shows P. umbraticola no closer to Louisiana than Henderson County, Texas, about 200 kilometers west. With the range expansion of opportunistic species over recent years it is not unexpected to find this species in northwest Louisiana. Whether it has been brought into the area by human activity or is expanding its range because of climate change is a matter of conjecture (Chen et al. 2011). MacRoberts and MacRoberts: Portulaca umbraticoia in L BMHBH •*?. !^ Figure Portulaca umbraticoia, showing winged capsules. 2. The native range of Portulaca umbraticola is both North America and South America. USA New Within the it occurs in Arizona, Arkansas. Georgia, Mississippi (one location), Missouri, Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Carolina (Matthews 2003) In Georgia and South Carolina the species is uncommon and is designated as subsp. coronata, while all other populations are designated subsp lanceolala (Matthews 2003). .According to Matthews, who examined our photographs and a specimen (pers. comm. e-mail, 2 Dec. and 12 Dec. 2011), our specimens are P. umbraticola Kunth subsp. lanceolala IF. Matthews &Ketron (Matthews fi.Ketron 1991; Matthews et al. 1332) While this popula the west side of the Red River, it . politically occurs in Bossier Parish; occur on the west side of the Red s River because the river, which was th original parish boundary in the mid-lS01 century, has changed course through natural meander and i an-made alterations (" cutoffs") (Joiner 2005) (Pig. 3). Thus, while this P. umbraticola population politically or technically in Bossier Parish, ecologically and biogeographically tins area should be nsideredto be in Caddo Parish until populations are found on the east side of the river. ACKNOWLEDGMENT S Special thanks to Jim Matthews, who aided with subspecies identification and generously provided background information from his many studies of Portulaca. Amanda Lewis (Louisiana m State University Shreveport) aided with the figures. Fred Alford (Chief Deputy Assessor, Bossier Parish) provided the Caddo-Bossier Parish boundary map. Thanks are due Amanda Neil! (BRIT). Dennis Beii (NLU), and Game Landry (LAP) who searchedtheir herbaria for Portulaca umbraticola. MacRoberts: Portulaca umbraticola'm i L LITERATURE CITED CD. Chen, I-Ching, J.K. Hill, R. Ohlemuller, D.B. Roy, and Thomas. 2011. Rapid range shifts of species associated with high levels of climate warming. Science 333: 1024-1026, Joiner, G.D. 2006. Mapping the Red River after the Freeman and Custis expedition. Bulletin of the Museum of Life Sciences 14: 271-298. Kartesz, J.T. and C.A. Meacham. 2005. Synthesis of North American flora. Version 2.0. Biota of North America Program. Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A MacRoberts, D.T. 1989. Documented Checidist and Atlas of the Vascular Flora of Louisiana. Museum Bulletin of the of Life Sciences (LSU-Shreveport) 257-536. 8: Matthews, F. 2003. Portulaca. Pp. 496-502. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, J. Flora of North America North of Mexico, Vol. 4. Matthews, J.F. and D.W. Ketron. 1991. Two new combinations in Portulaca (Portulacaceae). Castanea 56: 304-305. Matthews, J.F., D.W. Ketron, and S.F. Zane. 1992. Portulaca umbraticola Kunth (Portulacaceae) in the United States. Castanea 57: 202-208. NatureServe Explorer 201 <http://www.natureseive.org/explorer/> 1. CM. Thomas, R.D. and Allen. 1998. Atlas of the Vascular Flora of Louisiana. Vol. Louisiana 3. Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries, Natural Heritage Program. Baton Rouge. Turner, B.L., H. Nicols, G.C. Denny, and O. Doron. 2003. Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Texas. Sida, Bot. Msc. 24: 1-888. USDANRCS. PLANTS 2011. The Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, North Carolina, <http://plants.usda.gov> Accessed June 2011.