Introduction

Based at the Horticulture Department of Palm Beach Community College (www.pbcc.edu) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with extensive assistance from our local state parks (Atlantic Ridge State Park, MacArthur Beach State Park, and Jonathan Dickinson State Park), this project grew out of the mutual efforts of John Bradford, JuneWilkinson, and George Rogers to learn the local grass and sedge flora. Peeling the onion back a little farther, the original sparks came from June's long-standing interests in Florida natural history and her professional activities as a horticulturist, John's similar long-standing interest in the local flora, conservation, and habitat restoration, and George's teaching interests in native plants and in plant taxonomy, plus earlier explorations in Caribbean grasses.

The work unfolded over a multi-year period and continues to evolve. Our main activities are field exploration, grass identification in the laboratory (at PBCC and Jonathan Dickinson State Park), bibliographic and Internet research. Herbarium specimens have been prepared for most of the species included in the project and can be made available upon request.

The depth of the research is not adequate for formulation of taxonomic opinions. Unless there is reason to deviate (then stated), classification and nomenclature follows Flora North America (printed version), which can be consulted on-line at http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/FNA/, and with a "Grass Manual on the Web" (http://herbarium.usu.edu/webmanual/). Also see annotation to Hitchcock citation below.

Aliscioni, Sandra S., et.al. A molecular phylogeny of Panicum (Poaceae: Paniceae): tests of monophyly and phylogenetic placement within the Panicoideae. Amer. J. Bot.. 2003. 90: 796-821.

Ball, P.W., A. A. Reznicek, & D. F. Murray. Cyperaceae. Family 210. Vol. 23. and Juncaceae Family 209. Vol. 22 by R. Brooks & S. Clemants

Gould, F. & C. Clark. Dichanthelium (Poaceae) in the U.S. and Canada. J. Missouri Bot. Gard. 65: 1088-1132. 1978.

Gould, Frank W. & Robert B. Shaw. Grass Systematics 2^nd edition. Texas A & M Univ. Press. 1983

_______, M. A. Ali, and D. E. Fairbrothers. A revision of Echinochloa in the United States. Amer. Midland Nat. 87: 36-59. 1972.

Hall, David W. The Grasses of Florida. Univ. Florida. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. 1978.

Hansen, B. & R. P. Wunderlin. Synopsis of Dichanthelium (Poaceae) in Florida. J. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75: 1637-1657. 1988.

Hitchcock, A. S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. 2nd ed. Revised by Agnes Chase. 1051 pp., U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC. 1950. A contemporary sequel to this, allied with the Flora of North America treatment is: Barkworth, M. W., L. Anderson., K. Capels, A. Long & M. B. Piep. Manual of Grasses of North America. 640 pp. Utah State Univ. 2007. ISBN 13: 978-0-87421-686-8. An on-line version is available at:

Tucker, G. The genera of Cyperaceae in the Southeastern United States. Jour. Arnold Arb. 68: 361-445. 1987.

Wunderlin, R. P., & B. F. Hansen. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida. 2nd ed. v + 787 + i. p. Univ. Press of Florida. Gainesville & other cities. 2003.

Yarlett, L. L. Common Grasses of Florida and the Southeast. viii + 168 pp. Florida Native Plant Society. 1996.

John Bradford is an avid naturalist and amateur taxonomist. He is a volunteer with the Martin County Environmentally Sensitive Lands and has contributed to the PBCC Manual of Cultivated Plants for South Florida. He is responsible for the best of the photography in the project, including all macrophotography and for color-enhanced pictures in the glossary.

George Rogers is Professor of Horticulture at PBCC, and practicing plant taxonomist, contributing occasionally to the Generic Flora of the Southeastern Unites States. His interest in warm climate grasses extends back to a study of the grasses of Barbados with student Ayanda Holder (citation above).

June Wilkinson is a Horticulturist at Palm Beach Community College, and developer of the college's Medicinal Plants Garden. She is a graduate of the University of Florida, and of the Horticulture Program at Palm Beach Community College.

No project occurs in a vacuum, or it wouldn't be any fun. David Black has been generous on multiple levels, from sharing his knowledge of grasses to hosting a swamp buggy grass hunt in the DuPuis Wildlife Management Area. Beth Berger joined us on the DuPuis safari and added her experience. Gail Bogan has been our gracious host at Atlantic Ridge State Park. University of Florida Environmental Studies student Ryan Graunke improved our summer 2007 field trips with his company. Jonathan Dickinson State Park allowed us the use of the laboratory over an extended period, and much of the work took place there. At that park Rob Rossmanith, Libby Reinert, and Mark Nelson (Park Manager) have been helpful, friendly, courteous, and kind. Kent Perkins at the University of Florida Herbarium and Lauren Raz at Fairchild Tropical Garden Herbarium both hosted visits by John. Dr. Gerritt Davidse at the Missouri Botanical Garden identified the Steinchisma laxa. Botanist Steve Woodmansee shared data throughout the project. He accompanied us on a field trip through Jonathan Dickinson State Park, clarified numerous points of identification, gave us a heap of field ID tips from his decade and more of intensive fieldwork, and taught us everything we know about Rhynchospora. Shirly Denton (http://www.ShirlyDenton.com) has graciously allowed us to use some of her superb photographs. Curtis Rogers created the grass page banner. Dr. S. Galen Smith and Dr. Anton Reznicek have helped generously with sedge identification. Drs. Larry Datnoff and James Kimbrough have identified fungi for us (see Rhynchospora inundata).

Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Savannas Preserve State Park have hosted our grass workshops. Jamie Hansen and Christy Claes have been especially helpful with these.