Saurauia copelandii

Saurauia copelandii is a species of plant in the Actinidiaceae family. It is native to the Philippines. Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer, the American botanist who first formally described the species, named it in honor of Edwin Copeland, another American botanist who collected many botanical samples in the Philippines.
Description.
It is a tree reaching 7 meters in height. Its oblong leathery leaves vary in size, but are generally 30 by 10 centimeters and their tips are rounded. The leaves are dark green on their upper side, paler green below, and smooth on both surfaces. The leaves have 12-17 pairs of secondary veins emanating from their midribs. The leaf margins are serrated toward their tips. Its petioles are 1 centimeter long and have a furrow on their upper side. Inflorescences are axillary and organized on 1-3 peduncles 5-8 centimeters in length. Its flowers are pendulous and have a 2 centimeter long specialized leaf, called a bract, at their base. Its flowers have 4 rigid, green [sepals]], in 2 rows of 2. The outer pair are thick, oval-shaped and 1.5 centimeters long. The inner pair alternate with the outer, are thinner and elliptical. The flowers have white corollas that are 2.5 centimeters long with 5 lobes; each lobe is notched at the top. Its flowers have numerous stamens that are 5 millimeters long. Each flower has a 4-chambered ovary. Each ovary contains numerous ovules. Its flowers have 4 curved styles that are 7.5 millimeters long, and fused at their base for the last 2 millimeters.
Reproductive Biology.
The pollen of "S. copelandii" is shed as permanent tetrads.


Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary

Kedarnath Wild Life Sanctuary, also called the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, is a wildlife sanctuary declared under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and located in Uttarakhand, India. Its alternate name comes from its primary purpose of protecting the endangered Himalayan musk deer. Consisting of an area of , it is the largest protected area in the western Himalayas.It is famous for alpine musk deer, Himalayan Thar, Himalayan Griffon, Himalayan Black bear, Snow Leopard and other flora park and fauna. It is internationally important for the diversity of its flora and fauna (particularly of ungulate species).
Located in the Himalayan Highlands with an elevation ranging from (near Phata) to the Chaukhamba peak at , it was a notified reserve forest between 1916 and 1920. It was changed to a sanctuary on 21 January 1972, and has been designated a "Habitat/Species Management Area" by the IUCN. Since 1972, the area of the park has expanded from .
The sanctuary straddles a geographically diverse landscape and transitional environment. IUCN has reported that "From 44.4% to 48.8% of the sanctuary is forested, 7.7% comprises alpine meadows and scrub, 42.1% is rocky or under permanent snow and 1.5% represents formerly forested areas that have been degraded."
The sanctuary takes its name from the famous Hindu temple of Kedarnath which is just outside its northern border. The entire route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath temple () passes through the sanctuary in uttrakhand
Geography.
The sanctuary is geographically situated in the Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts of Uttarakhand. It lies within the larger Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows of alpine ecoregion of India, Nepal and Tibet, The sanctuary is at its higher altitudes is characterised by glaciers which through glacial action over centuries have created deep "v" shaped valleys. Generally in the north-south direction river valleys are formed by the Mandakini, Kali, Biera, Balasuti and Menan rivers flowing through the sanctuary. The geological formation in the catchment is made up of "Central Crystallines" that are metamorphic rocks such as gneisses, granites and schists. Lakes, waterfall and high-rise mountain peaks abound in this forest belt, as do a number of old Hindu pilgrimage sites - Madhyamaheshwar, Tungnath, Rudranath, Kedarnath, Triyuginarayan and Kalpeshwar all are located within or on the periphery of the sanctuary.
Religious and social aspect.
The sanctuary has a large number of Hindu temples located within its precincts. Kedarnath temple is the most historic of these and is visited by a very large number of pilgrims. This temple dates to the 8th century. Other temples, though not of matching importance, have strong legends related to the epic Mahabharata days. These are the Mandani, Madhyamaheshwar, Tungnath, Ansuya Devi and Rudranath. The local Hindu culture is also imbibed by the Bhotiyas (may be with some Tibetan link) who have pastoral work culture and are an integral part of the valleys. Visitors to these temples have occasionally been attacked by wildlife.
Climate.
A typical temperate to sub-arctic climate prevails in the locale of the sanctuary. The South West summer monsoon rains recorded is the mean annual precipitation of . This high value of precipitation is due to the fact that the hill ranges to the south, of about height, are open without much of rain-shadow effect. On the basis of rainfall of recorded near Tungnath in 1979-81, the monsoon rain (June to September) was about 81% while snow precipitation during December–March was 11%. Summer temperature recorded is , the highest in May or June; a mild and pleasant condition. The lowest winter temperature recorded in the first half of January is , when heavy snowfall is received in the upper region. This results in severe cold conditions. For about three months, following heavy snowfall in December, the sanctuary is snow-covered.
Flora.
The sanctuary is reputed to be one of the world’s richest bio-reserves. It is host to temperate forests in the middle altitudes; higher elevations are dotted by coniferous, sub-alpine and alpine forests, and further up by alpine grasslands and high-altitude Bugyals. The diverse climate and topography in the sanctuary area has created dense forests of chir pine, oak, birch, rhododendrons and alpine meadows with incidence of numerous Himalayan flowering plants. At Tungnath, two sedges, Carex lacta and C. munda, have been reported which had previously only been reported in the far west region of Nepal.
The sanctuary is reputed to have many high value medicinal and aromatic plant species, of which 22 species are rare and endangered. Aconitum balfourii, Angelica glauca, Arnebia benthamii, Artemisia maritima, Bergenia stracheyi, and Dactylorhiza hatagirea are among the threatened medicinal plant species of the sanctuary.
Fauna.
The sanctuary is rich in faunal, avifaunal and aquafaunal species (some are pictured in the gallery).
Mammalians.
• Carnivores are: Indian jackal ("Canis aureus indicus"), red fox ("Vulpes vulpes"), Himalayan black bear ("Selenarctos thibetanus laniger") (V), yellow-throated marten ("Martes flavigula"), leopard cat ("Felis bengalensis"), Indian leopard ("Panthera pardus fusca") (V) and snow leopard ("Uncia uncia").
• Ungulates are Indian boar ("Sus scrofa cristatus"), Himalayan musk deer ("Moschus leucogaster"), and Indian muntjac. The primates recorded are rhesus macaque ("Macaca mulatta") and common langur ("Presbytis entellus"). Among the smaller mammals are Hodgsons's brown-toothed shrew ("Episoriculus caudatus"), red giant flying squirrel ("Petaurista petaurista"), and Royle's pika ("Ochotona roylei").
In June 2019, a tiger was also captured on camera in this sanctuary.
Avians.
Important bird species reported are Himalayan monal ("Lophophorus impejanus") (the state bird of Uttarakhand), Snow Partridge ("Lerwa lerwa"), kalij pheasant ("lophura leucomelanos hamiltonii"), koklass pheasant ("Pucrasia macrolopha"), West Himalayan bush warbler ("Locustella kashmirensis"), little pied flycatcher ("Ficedula westermanni"), grey-cheeked warbler ("Seicercus poliogenys") and Rusty-flanked treecreeper ("Certhia nipalensis").
Reptilians.
Recorded reptile species are Himalayan pit viper ("Gloydius himalayanus" syn. "Ancistrodon himalayanus") (common) and Boulenger's keelback ("Hebius parallelum").
In the Mandakini River, fishes recorded include Schizothorax sp., mahseer Tor tor, Labeo spp., Gara spp., Barilius spp., Nemacheilus sp. nov., Glyptothorax spp. and Balitora brucei.
Conservation.
Among the more notable of the animals in the region is the animal for which it is alternatively named; the musk deer. Declining population (over 40% in 21 years) of this species and large scale poaching for profit, dictated the decision to declare it as an endangered animal (EN) in 1973 (Halloway, 1973) and the species was listed vulnerable in the red data book of IUCN in 1974. It is found, not only in Uttarakhand in the Himalayan belt up to lowest elevation of (within a restricted zone), but also in some parts of the Himalayan belt starting from Northern India in Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim, and in Bhutan, Nepal and China (southwest Xizang) with small numbers reported in China. These deer dwell generally live alone at a density of 3-4 animals per square kilometer in meadows, fell-fields, shrublands or first forests.
The male species of the endangered musk deer in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary carries the much valued pods musk pod (glands). They are poached for its pod, which is valued at US$45,000 (Indian Rs 2 million) per that is used in cosmetics. It has reportedly pharmaceutical properties also. Its meat is also consumed as a delicacy. The animal is protected under the "Threatened Deer Programme" of the IUCN, with cooperation by the Government of India and World Wide Fund for Nature . The sanctuary includes a breeding center at Kharchula Kharak, both to help advance understanding of the animal's conservation requirements and to breed it in captivity for reintroduction to the wild. Through 1987, it had successfully reared nine deer.
Other scientific activities centered around the sanctuary have been: the high-altitude botanical field station established at Tungnath () by the Garhwal University; further ecological studies of the ungulates; WWF on ecology of the Himalayan musk deer and other ungulates near Tungnath, together with surveys of the mammalian fauna and avifauna; and fish fauna studies in the Mandakini River.
Management of Sanctuary.
The management of the wildlife sanctuary is done by the Uttarakhand Forest department. The Divisional Forest Officer(DFO) Kedarnath Wildlife Division is responsible for scientific management of the wildlife sanctuary as per the approved management plan. The headquarter of Kedarnath Wildlife Division is located at Gopeshwar, District Chamoli. The permission of trekking, camping or conducting scientific study inside the sanctuary is provided by DFO Kedarnath. Wildlife Division.
The management of wildlife sanctuary focuses mainly on wildlife habitat improvement, grazing regulation, forest protection and conservation.
Visitor information.
Visitors are mostly Indian nationals on pilgrimage to various temples, though a few international tourists also visit the area. The approach to Kedarnath Temple is only through the sanctuary. Visiting season is from April to June and again from September to November. The number of visitors to the Kedarnath shrine, who passed through the sanctuary, was 5,57,923 in 2007 as against 87,629 in 1987, a quantum jump in 20 years.
The nearest airport is at Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun at a distance of from Chopta, the entry point to the sanctuary. Rishikesh is the nearest rail head at a distance of from Chopta. National Highway NH 58 from Delhi passes through Chamoli via Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Roorkee, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Okhimath; and by state highway to Chopta.
The sanctuary and surroundings offer some housing for visitors, including the forest hut at Madhyamaheshwar for which prior reservation needs to be done through the DFO, Kedarnath Wildlife Division, Gopeshwar. The Temple Committee maintains Dharamshalas (rest houses or inns) for use by pilgrims and tourists at Trijuginarayan, Dougalbitta, Mandal, Gaurikund and Kedarnath. There is also a guest house at Sonprayag.


Purpureocillium atypicola

Purpureocillium atypicola is a species of fungus, previously known as "Nomuraea atypicola", in the family Ophiocordycipitaceae with no subspecies listed in the Catalogue of Life. There are records of occurrence from Japan, Australia and New Zealand.


Xerochlamys tampoketsensis

Xerochlamys tampoketsensis is a tree in the family Sarcolaenaceae. It is endemic to Madagascar.
Description.
"Xerochlamys tampoketsensis" grows as a small tree up to tall. Its coriaceous leaves are elliptic to oblong in shape and measure up to long. The tree's flowers are occasionally solitary or generally in inflorescences of two flowers, with pale yellow petals. The roundish fruits measure up to in diameter with black seeds.
Distribution and habitat.
"Xerochlamys tampoketsensis" is only found in the regions of Analamanga, Betsiboka, Melaky and Sofia. Its habitat is subhumid to dry forests from to altitude. Only one population of the trees is in a protected area. The preliminary status of the species is Vulnerable.


Chippewa National Forest

Chippewa National Forest is a National Forest located in north central Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Itasca, Cass and Beltrami. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota. There are local ranger district offices in Blackduck, Deer River and Walker.
History.
The Forest was established as the Minnesota Forest Reserve on June 27, 1902, with passage of the Morris Act. While this act mainly addressed the disposition of unallotted lands on Ojibwe Indian reservations in Minnesota, of the Chippewas of the Mississippi, Cass Lake, Leech Lake, and Winnibigoshish Indian reservations were designated as a Forest Reserve.
The Reserve was re-established as the Minnesota National Forest on May 23, 1908. In 1928, the forest was renamed in honor of the Chippewa Indians from whose land the forest was created. Subsequent boundary expansions and land purchases increased the area of the forest to its present size.
The Lost Forty.
The Forest contains an area known as the Lost Forty. This area, which has a total of , was accidentally mapped as part of Coddington Lake when the original maps of the region were laid out in 1882. As a result of the mapping error, the Lost Forty was never logged. It contains some of the oldest forest in the state, with some trees more than 350 years old. Less than two percent of Minnesota's total forested land today is such old growth forest. These unique qualities offer an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities throughout the year.
Historic and cultural sites.
There are over 3000 archeological and historic sites located within the forest, two that are most notable and open to the public are:
Geography.
The forest covers . Water is abundant, with over 1,300 lakes, 923 miles (1,485 km) of rivers and streams and of wetlands. The Forest has more lakes and wetlands than any other National Forest in the nation, boasting approximately 13% of all surface water within the entire National Forest system. Inside the forest the Cut Foot Sioux Trail runs along the Laurentian Divide.
Three of the top ten largest lakes in size within the State of Minnesota are located within the forest, these are Cass Lake, Leech Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish. Approximately 44% of the Forest's land is within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation.
Fauna and flora.
Aspen, birch, pine, balsam fir, and maple blanket the forest. Old growth forest such as the Lost Forty section of the CNF is valuable for wildlife, including bald eagle, several species of hawk and woodpecker, red squirrel, weasel, and numerous other species. In the 1960s, the bald eagle population in the forest was only 12 nesting pairs. Since then the population has rebounded and the bald eagle population of the Chippewa National Forest is one of the highest density in the lower 48 states at 150 nesting pairs.
Recreation.
The Forest contains 21 developed campgrounds, 41 miles of paved bike trails, 43 miles of unpaved bike trails, 160 miles of hiking trails, 298 miles of non-motorized trails, 380 miles of snowmobile trails, 68 dispersed camping locations, 20 miles of horse trails, 83 boat accesses.
Visitor Centers.
The Forest operates three visitor centers in the forest, they are:
Scenic Byways.
Many roadways, including U.S. and State Highways and county roads intersect the forest for easy access to the forest. Within the Forest are five scenic byways for scenic drives for visitors that intersect through the forest.


Penicillium variabile

Penicillium variabile is an anamorph species of fungus in the genus "Penicillium" which has been isolated from permafrost deposits. "Penicillium variabile" produces rugulovasine A and rugulovasine B This species occurs on wheat, flour, maize, rice, and barley, and it is also very common in indoor environments.
In the University of Newcasttle, and publicated in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, was found that the Penicillium variable P16 is a main marker of the advancement of the Parkinson illness (with the loss of telomere length and P21)


Hemiphora uncinata

Hemiphora uncinata is a flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, spreading shrub with its branches densely covered with white, woolly hairs. Its leaves are rough and wrinkled and the flowers are tube-shaped with deep pink petals with wavy edges.
Description.
"Hemiphora uncinata" is an erect, spreading shrub which grows to a height of with its branches covered with white, cottony hairs. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped, long, wide, with their edges curved downwards or under and often have a hooked tip. The upper surface is rough and wrinkled with small blisters and the lower surface is covered with woolly hairs at least when young.
The flowers are deep pink and are arranged singly or in groups of up to three on woolly stalks long, in upper leaf axils. There are bracts long at the base of the flowers and which are glabrous on the inner surface and densely woolly outside, and there are shorter, glabrous bracteoles. The five sepals are long, and joined at their base to form a short tube. The sepals are woolly on the outside, linear to lance-shaped and remain attached to the plant after the petals have fallen. The petals are long and joined to form a wide tube long and wide at the top end. The petal tube has soft hairs on the outside but glabrous inside except for a densely hairy ring above the ovary. The five petal lobes form two "lips", the upper lip with two lobes joined for most of their length and the lower with three spreading lobes. The five lobes have wavy or irregularly notched edges and are roughly circular in shape, in diameter. The four stamens are shorter than the petal tube with the lower pair much longer than the upper pair. Flowering occurs in spring and the fruit is almost spherical, hairy, veiny and in diameter. This species is similar to "Hemiphora exserta" but has its stamens short and enclosed in the petal tube.
Taxonomy and naming.
This species was first formally described in 1863 by Nikolai Turczaninow who gave it the name "Chloanthes uncinata". The description was published in "Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou" from a specimen collected by James Drummond. In 1870 George Bentham changed the name to "Pityrodia uncinata" and in 2011, Barry Conn, Murray Henwood and Nicola Streiber transferred four species, including this one, from the genus "Pityrodia" into "Hemiphora". The specific epithet ("uncinata") is a Latin word meaning "hooked".
Distribution and habitat.
"Hemiphora uncinata" is mainly found in near-coastal areas between Perth and the Murchison River, but there are disjunct populations near Gairdner and between Hyden and Lake Cronin, in the Geraldton Sandplains and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions where it grows in sandy clay in depressions that are sometimes flooded in winter.
Conservation.
"Hemiphora uncinata" is classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.


Aletris obovata

Aletris obovata (southern colicroot or white colic-root) is a plant species native to the southeastern United States (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia).
"Aletris obovata" grows in moist areas, such as pine woodlands and savannahs. It is a perennial herb up to 100 cm tall, with a long spike of small, cylindrical flowers. Flowers are usually white or cream-colored with brownish tips on the corolla lobes, the lobes bent inwards to give the flower an overall rounded, ovoid or obovoid (egg-shaped) shape with only a narrow opening at the tip. It is usually pollinated by butterflies.


Erythronium idahoense

Erythronium idahoense, commonly known as Idaho fawn lily, is a white-flowered plant in the Lily family native to the northwestern United States (Washington, Idaho, and Montana).
This taxon was listed as "Erythronium grandiflorum" subsp. "candidum" in Flora of North America.


Gunniopsis glabra

Gunniopsis glabra is a succulent plant in the iceplant family, Aizoaceae. It is endemic to Western Australia.
The perennial herb with a woody base typically grows to a height of . It blooms between October and February producing white flowers.
It is found around salt lakes and was a scattered distribution throughout the Mid West, Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in sandy and sometimes loamy soils.
The species was first formally as "Aizoon glabra" by the botanist Alfred James Ewart in 1908 in his work "Contributions to the Flora of Australia" as recorded in "Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria". Gardner reclassified it into the "Gunniopsis" genera in 1930 in the work "Enumeratio Plantarum Australiae Occidentalis".


Darwinia pauciflora

Darwinia pauciflora is a plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae and is endemic to Western Australia.
The shrub has an open and bushy habit and typically grows to height of . It blooms between March and October producing white-cream or white-pink flowers.
The specific epithet "pauciflora", refers to the Latin term for 'few flowered'.
Often found on hillsides or sandplains in the Mid West region of Western Australia in an area on the coast around Geraldton where it grows in sandy soils.


Acacia moirii

Acacia moirii, commonly known as Moir's wattle, is a subshrub which is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It grows to between 0.15 and 0.6 metres high and has densely hairy leaflets. The globular golden-yellow flower heads appear from May to August, followed by hairy seed pods which are around 4 cm long and 5 to 6 mm wide.
Taxonomy.
The type specimen was collected near Cape Riche by A.J. Moir in 1901.
Three subspecies are currently recognised:
Distribution.
The species occurs on sandplains, undulating plains, hills and rises in an area between Eneabba, Manypeaks and Jerdacuttup as well as east of Esperance in the Cape Arid area.


Acacia ptychoclada

Acacia ptychoclada is a shrub of the genus "Acacia" and the subgenus "Plurinerves" that is endemic to a small area of south eastern Australia.
Description.
The shrub typically grows to a height of and has a slender and erect habit with angular, strongly ribbed and hairy branchlets. Like most species of "Acacia" it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. The ascending and evergreen phyllodes have a linear shape and are straight to slightly incurved with a length of and a width of and have eight strongly raised main nerves. It blooms between January and April producing yellow flowers.
Distribution.
It has a limited distribution within the Blue Mountains of New South Wales from around Woodford in the north to around Mount Victoria in the south. It is often situated in swampy areas and damp places along creeks over or around areas of sandstone.


Total South Africa

Total South Africa, headquartered in Rosebank, South Africa,


Heliaster solaris

Heliaster solaris commonly known as 24-rayed sunstar is a possibly extinct sea star which was known from the waters near Española Island in the Galápagos Islands.
Description.
"Heliaster solaris" had 22 to 24 cylindrical and elongated more or less distinctly banded rays which were tapering at the ends. They were one third longer than the diameter of the body. The dorsal rows of the spines were longer and more compressed. The spines, pedicellariae, and the madreporic plate were light yellowish.
Taxonomy.
This species was first mentioned by John Edward Gray in 1840 in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History as "Asterias multiradiata" and later as "Heliaster multiradiatus". Due to the fact that Carl Linnaeus used the name "Asterias multiradiata" (current accepted name: "Capillaster multiradiata") already in 1758 Gray's name became an invalid homonym. In 1920 Austin Hobart Clark published the replacement name "Heliaster solaris".
Extinction.
"Heliaster solaris" disappeared during the El Niño Southern Oscillation event which affected the Galapagos Islands in the early 1980s.


Holostaspella moderata

Holostaspella moderata is a species of mite in the family Macrochelidae.


Iris cathayensis

Iris cathayensis is a beardless iris in the genus "Iris", in the subgenus "Limniris" and in the series "Tenuifoliae" of the genus. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from China. It has grey-green leaves, short stems and violet flowers.
Description.
"Iris cathayensis" has a brown, tough, knobbly rhizome. Which has dark red leaf bases (from last seasons leaves).
It has linear, greyish-green, long and 3 – 4 mm wide at blooming time. It later extends up to long and 6mm wide. The tips of the leaves arch over.
It has very short flowering stems, long.
Sometimes, the stems do not emerge from below ground.
It has between 3–4 green, lanceolate, between long and wide, large spathes (leaves of the flower bud).
It has membranous margins, visible mid-vein and pointed end.
The flowers are in diameter, and come in shades of violet, in April.
It has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals, known as the 'standards'.
The falls are narrowly oblanceolate, long and 5mm wide.
The standards are also narrowly oblanceolate, long and 5mm wide.
It has a 1.5–2 cm long, filiform (thread-like) pedicel, 7–9 cm long perianth tube, 2.8–3.5 cm long stamens, blue anthers and 1.3–1.5 long ovary.
It also has long and 3mm wide, linear style branches, the same colour as the petals.
After the iris has flowered, it produces a seed capsule (not described) between June and August.
Biochemistry.
In 2000, a chemical analysis of 22 species of iris from China was carried out. According to the distribution pattern of isoflavones in the species, they can be separated into 2 groups. One group contains "isoflavonoid aglycons" and the other has "glycosides" and "isoflavonoid aglycons". "Iris cathayensis" Migo and "Iris mandshurica" Pall. are considered intermediate groups between subgen. "Limniris" and "Iris" subg. "Iris".
In 2005, a study was carried out to find out the chemical composition of "Iris cathayensis". Using chromatography and spectroscopic methods, as well as others.
Taxonomy.
It is written as 华夏鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as "hua xia yuan wei" in China.
It has the common name of 'China Iris', or "Cathay Iris".
The Latin specific epithet "cathayensis" refers to "Cathay", the Anglicized version of "Catai" and an alternative name for China.
It was published and described by Hisao Migo, in the 'Journal of the Shanghai Science Institute' Sect.3 Vol.4 on page 140 in 1939.
It was later published in 'Flora of Jiangsu', First Vol. 395, Fig. 712 in 1977.
Distribution and habitat.
"Iris cathayensis" is native to temperate areas of Asia.
Range.
It is found in the Chinese provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, and Zhejiang.
Habitat.
It is found growing on open hillsides and grasslands, and low-altitude mountain meadow slopes.
Cultivation.
"Iris cathayensis" is not common in cultivation in the UK.
It prefers to grow in sandy soils. It needs to be kept dry during winter, needing the protection of bulb frames, it only needs water during the growing season.


Waubonsie State Park

Waubonsie State Park is a state park of Iowa, US, located in the Loess Hills region. It is named for Chief Wabaunsee of Potawatomi tribe.
Waubonsie State Park is located in the unique Loess Hills, a landform found only along the Missouri River in Iowa and Missouri. As glaciers melted 14,000 to 28,000 years ago, the Missouri River became a major channel for huge volumes of water and sediment during the summer. In winter, the volume of the meltwater was reduced, leaving the deposited sediments exposed to the wind. These sediments of silt, clay and very fine sand particles called "loess," were then carried by strong westerly winds and deposited when these winds encountered the steep slopes of the east valley wall.
There are several distinctive features of loess hills topography. Because of the fine texture of the soil, deep, steep-sided and very narrow ridge tops have been eroded in the hills. Small, step-like terraces called "cat steps" resulting from repeated slipping of the soil can be seen on many west-facing slopes. Since the soil drains rapidly, nearly vertical cuts can be made in the soil without erosion. The unique topography of the park resembles the "badlands" of the west and harbors plants like the yucca which are normally found in more arid climates.
Nearby towns.
Sidney, Iowa is north and holds Iowa's largest continuous outdoor rodeo, held during July. Hamburg is south of the park. Nebraska City is west across the Missouri River in Nebraska and is the home of Julius Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day. His home is now a museum at Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum in Nebraska.
Picnicking and shelters.
A scenic open picnic shelter may be reserved online through the park reservation system.
Camping.
There are 40 campsites, 24 with electrical hookups, modern shower and rest room facilities and a trailer dump station. The equestrian campground contains 32 campsites and non-modern rest room facilities. Advance campsite reservations can be made online through the park reservation system. Half of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Trails.
There are of foot trails and of equestrian trails winding along ridges down into gorges and valleys. The Sunset Ridge Interpretive Trail provides visitors a chance to learn about many of the park's important plants and trees, as well as enjoy the views. Waubonsie State Park is a site on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.


Conocybe rickenii

Conocybe rickenii is a mushroom from the genus "Conocybe". Its edibility is disputed, and it has the appearance of a typical little brown mushroom with a small, conical cap, and long, thin stem. In colour, it is generally a cream-brown, lighter on the stem, and it has a thin layer of flesh with no distinct smell or taste. It is a coprophilous fungus, feeding off dung and it is most common on very rich soil or growing directly from dung. It can be found in Europe, Australia and Pacific islands.
Taxonomy.
"Conocybe rickenii" was first described in 1930 by German mycologist Julius Schäffer and named "Galera rickenii". It was reclassified by Robert Kühner, who placed it in the genus "Conocybe".
Description.
"Conocybe rickenii" has a conical cap of across, which is an ochre-brown, sometimes becoming a little more grey at the centre. The stem is typically in height, by in thickness, and is whitish cream, darkening to a dirty brown with age. The thin layer of flesh is grey-brown in the cap, while lighter in the stem. It has ochre-cream (later darkening to rusty-ochre) gills, which are adnate, leaving a brown spore print. The spores themselves are elliptic to oval, measuring between 10–20 µm by 6–12 µm. It has two-spored basidia, and a cellular cap cuticle.
It is generally a little larger than the slightly more common coprophilious "C. pubescens", while it can be differentiated from other dung-loving "Conocybe" by its two-spored basidia, large spores and the fact it does not have lecythiform (flask-shaped) caulocystidia.
Edibility.
British mycologist Roger Phillips lists the edibility as unknown, while David Pegler considers it inedible. The flesh has no distinct smell or taste.
Distribution and habitat.
"Conocybe rickenii" grows on extremely rich soil, especially on dung and compost heaps. It can be found in very large numbers in gardens where horse manure has been used to enrich the soil. It can be found in Europe, Australia, and Pacific islands and the United States.


Toxicodendron parviflorum

Toxicodendron parviflorum commonly known as small-flowered poison sumac is a much-branched shrub bearing stalked leaves with three leaflets; the end leaflet is larger than the other two. The leaflets are obovate, with rounded tips, tapering bases and irregularly toothed margins. The flowers are tiny, yellowish and fragrant. The fruit is small, round and red when ripe. "T. parviflorum" is found in the Himalayas, from Kumaun to Bhutan, at altitudes of .


Geasteroides texensis


Aechmea fosteriana

Aechmea fosteriana, the lacquered wine cup, is a bromeliad native to Brazil, which is endemic to coastal areas of the State of Espírito Santo. This plant is often grown as an ornamental plant.
The following subspecies are recognized :


Pisidium dilatatum

Pisidium dilatatum is a species of mollusc belonging to the family Sphaeriidae.
Synonyms:


Gunniopsis intermedia

Gunniopsis intermedia, commonly known as yellow salt star, is a succulent plant in the iceplant family, Aizoaceae. It is endemic to Australia.
The annual herb has an erect or prostrate habit typically growing to a height of and form a mound up to across. The leaves are long and wide. It blooms from September to November producing yellow-white flowers.
It is found around salt lakes and on saline flats in inland areas of the Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in sandy, loam or clay soils.
The species was first formally described by the botanist Ludwig Diels in 1904 in the work "Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie".


Sebastiania pubescens

Sebastiania pubescens is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It was described in 1912. It is native to Minas Gerais, Brazil.


Coilochilus neocaledonicum


Jacquemontia reclinata

Jacquemontia reclinata is a rare species of flowering plant in the morning glory family known by the common names beach clustervine, reclined clustervine, and beach jacquemontia. It is endemic to the southeastern coast of Florida, mainly within the South Florida metropolitan area, in the United States, where little of its native habitat remains. It is a federally listed endangered species.
This is a creeping vine that has a woody base and stems that grow up to a meter long. The stems may climb on other plants. The vine produces fleshy leaves up to 3 centimeters long and star-shaped white flowers. The plant grows on barrier islands, where it can be found in several types of habitat, such as sand dunes and tropical hardwood hammocks. It grows in sunny open and disturbed areas, bare patches historically created by hurricanes and today sometimes created by human activity. Other plants growing in this type of habitat include seagrape ("Coccoloba uvifera") and Madagascar periwinkle ("Catharanthus roseus").
In 2001 there were ten known populations of this plant for a total of about 733 individuals. In 2007 it was estimated that the total population had decreased 13% since the year 2000. The species is present in Broward, Palm Beach, and Dade Counties. It was known from Martin County but it is thought to be extirpated there. The coastal strips of these counties are heavily populated and constantly expanding, leading to the consumption of natural habitat for residential, commercial, and other uses. Remaining occurrences of the plant are on land that is fragmented and degraded. It is invaded by introduced plant species such as Brazilian pepper ("Schinus terebinthifolius"). Recreation and beach erosion threaten the plant.


Cladonia wainioi

Cladonia wainioi is a species of lichen found in boreal and arctic regions of the Russian Far East and northern North America.
Taxonomy.
"Cladonia wainioi" was described as a new species by Russian lichenologist Vsevolod Savich (1885–1972) in 1914. The first scientific specimens were collected in the Kamchatka Peninsula. The specific epithet honours Finnish lichenologist Edvard August Wainio. In early molecular phylogenetic analysis of genus "Cladonia", "Cladonia wainioi" was positioned as basal to the rest of the Cladoniae. Stenroos and colleagues proposed placing it in subdivision I of "Cladonia", a deviation from the placement in "Cladonia" section "Ascyphiferae" proposed by Teuvo Ahti a couple of years before. They suggested that "C. wainioi" is "rather distinct in its cladinioid branching and its production of merochlorophaeic acid".
Description.
"Cladonia wainioi" has greenish to brownish mineral-grey podetia that are covered with small scales (squamulate). The axils (the inner junction of a branchlet with a branch or with another branchlet) are open. Pycnidia are common, while apothecia are rare. "Cladonia wainioi" is highly branched, and similar in form to the common species "Cladonia multiformis" and "Cladonia furcata". The latter two species, however, have a lichen spot test of PD+ red, while "C. wainioi" is PD-.
Habitat and distribution.
"Cladonia wainioi" grows in boreal bogs and rocks in arctic regions of eastern Asia and northern North America. Its Asian range extends south to Japan, while the North American distribution extends from Alaska to Newfoundland south to mountains in New England.


Madhuca sarawakensis

Madhuca sarawakensis is a tree in the family Sapotaceae. It grows up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is greyish. Inflorescences bear up to 10 flowers. The fruits are ellipsoid, up to long. The tree is named after Malaysia's Sarawak state. Its habitat is lowland mixed dipterocarp forest from sea level to altitude. "M. sarawakensis" is endemic to Borneo and restricted to Sarawak's Kuching Division.


Isonandra borneensis

Isonandra borneensis is a tree in the family Sapotaceae.
Description.
"Isonandra borneensis" grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is brown. Inflorescences bear up to three white flowers.
Distribution and habitat.
"Isonandra borneensis" is endemic to Borneo. Its habitat is forests from sea-level to altitude.


Ceanothus greggii

Ceanothus greggii, known by the common name desert ceanothus, is a species of flowering shrub in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It is native to the Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah) and northern Mexico, where it grows primarily in desert scrub, sagebrush, chaparral, and other dry habitats such as inland mountain slopes, at elevations of to .
It was named by Asa Gray of Harvard University in 1853 in honor of its collector, Josiah Gregg, who found the plant in 1847 at the site of the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican state of Coahuila during the Mexican–American War.
Description.
"Ceanothus greggii" is a many-branched shrub that grows erect to nearly in maximum height. Its woody parts are gray in color and somewhat woolly. Branches are opposite and rigid. The evergreen leaves are oppositely arranged, 2–9 mm long, and variable in shape, with a prominent midvein. They may be toothed or smooth along the edges, and are indeed usually somewhat cupped (see top image).
The inflorescence is a small (less than 2 cm long) cluster of many white flowers on short lateral branches. The flowers bloom in spring. Blooms are considered highly fragrant. The fruit is a horned capsule a few millimeters wide which bursts explosively to expel the three seeds inside, which require thermal scarification from wildfire before they can germinate.
"C. greggii" is eagerly browsed by livestock and wild ungulates such as mule deer and desert bighorn sheep.
Varieties.
Distinct varieties of "C. greggii" include:


Fort Defiance State Park

Fort Defiance State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA, in Emmet County. The park is and sits at an elevation of . The park, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, was opened to the public in 1930. Fort Defiance State Park is open for year-round recreation including picnicking, hiking, and camping.
History.
Fort Defiance State Park is named for the former Fort Defiance which stood where an accounting office is now located at 103 S. Sixth St. in Estherville, Iowa. The fort was built to protect a gristmill and sawmill during the Dakota War of 1862. In Iowa alarm over the attacks in Minnesota and the Dakotas led to the construction of a series of forts from Sioux City to Iowa Lake. The region had previously been militarized in the aftermath of the Spirit Lake Massacre in 1857. After the 1862 conflict began, the Iowa Legislature authorized “not less than 500 mounted men from the frontier counties at the earliest possible moment, and to be stationed where most needed”, this number was soon reduced. No fighting took place in Iowa, the Dakota uprising led to the rapid expulsion of the few unassimilated Native Americans left there. Fort Defiance was built in 1862 at a time when 40% of the male population of Emmet County was away and fighting for the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Recreation.
Fort Defiance State Park is open for year-round recreation. A lodge built to resemble a frontier army outpost is available to rent to large groups for meetings and reunions. There is a picnic pavilion that is open to all visitors on a first-come first-served basis. The park has a rustic camping area with sixteen camping sites. There are no flush toilets or showers available and just eight of the campsites are connected to electricity. The trails of the park are open to hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. Two of the trails, White Tail Ridge Trail and Spring Trail have recently undergone extensive improvements. The work, completed by students from the Iowa Lakes Community College environmental studies program included covering the trails with wood chips to make the trails "more hiker friendly." White Tail Ridge Trail passes through a wooded area where visitors may encounter some White-tail deer. The Spring Trails passes through a patch of prairie.
Friends of Fort Defiance State Park.
The Friends of Fort Defiance State Park is a community organization founded in 2006 to improve the park. The group has raised funds for trail construction and maintenance and worked to keep the grounds of the park clean. Additionally the friends worked to improve the electric hookups at the campsites from 20 amps to 50 amps. Park use and visitation has increased since the Friends of Fort Defiance State Park began their campaign to improve the park. A local newspaper describes the level of use of the campground as being "constant" and has noted an increase in rentals of the lodge for large group functions.


North Eastern Electric Supply Company

The North Eastern Electric Supply Company (commonly abbreviated to NESCo) was responsible for the supply of electricity to a large amount of North East England, prior to the nationalisation of the British electricity industry with the Electricity Act 1947. The company was established as the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company (also abbreviated to NESCo) in 1889, but was renamed the North Eastern Electricity Supply company as it expanded to supply the North East region.
History.
The Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company was founded in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, in 1889 by the industrialist John Theodore Merz. The company was one of two that were founded in the Newcastle area that year, with the Newcastle and District Electric Lighting Company (DisCo) founded by Charles Algernon Parsons. A line was roughly drawn down the city's Grainger Street, with NESCo supplying the area to the east and DisCo that to the west.
NESCo opened its first power station, Pandon Dene, in 1890. Merz's son, Charles Hesterman Merz worked at the Pandon Dene station and became the company's Chief Consultant Engineer. Charles Merz's design company, Merz & McLellan, which he founded with William McLellan, undertook much of NESCo's design work from 1898 onward. They designed the pioneering Neptune Bank Power Station, which opened in 1901. It was the first power station in the United Kingdom to generate three-phase electric power, and the first to supply electricity for industrial purposes rather than just lighting. This led to the rapid expansion of NESCo, and gave the Tyneside industries an advantage over those in other areas. For the 30 years following the opening of the Neptune Bank station, NESCo became one of the World's leading companies in power station development.
NESCo opened Carville Power Station in 1903 to supply power for the Tyneside Electrics. In 1905 NESCo expanded its territory by taking over the Walker and Wallsend Union Gas Company. After a series of parliamentary battles with DisCo, NESCo extended its supply and distribution area south of the River Tyne, and it opened Dunston Power Station in this new territory in 1910. By 1914 NESCo had expanded this area further by absorbing the County of Durham Electrical Power Distribution Company, the County of Durham Power Supply Company and the Houghton-le-Spring and District Electric Lighting Company. Carville B Power Station opened in 1916, the most economical power station in the World at the time. After the First World War it took over the Cleveland and Durham Electric Power Company, the Northern Counties Electricity Supply Company, Durham County Electric Power Company, and Tees Power Station Company. It also took over the assets of the Durham Collieries Electric Power Company and the Hexham & District Supply Company following their liquidations. NESCo opened North Tees Power Station in 1921 and Dunston B Power Station in 1933.
In 1927, the company moved into their new headquarters at Carliol House in Newcastle's city centre. The building was designed by Robert Burns Dick. Carliol House Ltd. had been founded in 1924 to build and administer the building itself. It remained a separate company until 1974, after the nationalisation of the company.
The North Eastern Electric Supply Company was formed under the North Eastern Electric Supply Act 1932, which brought the Newcastle upon Tyne Electric Supply Company and all its subsidiaries under one company. In June 1932 it bought the Durham Electrical Power Distribution Company.
The British electricity industry was nationalised in 1948 under the Electricity Act 1947. The industry was reorganised by region and the British Electricity Authority (NESCo) was set up for the North East region and was based upon the area covered by NESCo, but also included the areas covered by DisCo, the Askrigg and Reeth Supply Company and the Hawes Electric Lighting Company. The area covered stretched from York to the Scottish border. British Electricity Authority (NESCo) was later renamed the North Eastern Electricity Board.


Baumea arthrophylla

Baumea arthrophylla is a flowering plant in the sedge family, Cyperaceae that is native to Western Australia.
The grass-like plant is rhizomatous and perennial, with a tufted habit. It typically grows to a height of . It blooms between September and November producing brown flowers.
It is found in winter wet depressions and around swamps and lakes along coastal areas in the Peel, South West, Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance where it grows in damp to wet peaty-sand soils.


Gymnosporangium kernianum

Gymnosporangium kernianum is a fungal plant pathogen.


Dufferin Islands

Dufferin Islands are a group of scenic man-made islands located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, approximately 1/2 mile south of the Horseshoe Falls. The islands are known for their quiet seclusion and nature trails.
History.
Early history.
While Niagara Falls, New York became more well known for industry development along the lower river's edge in the 1870s, the industrial revolution started much earlier on the Canadian side. In 1794, permission was granted to erect a saw and grist mill at the eastern end of the islands. This was followed by an iron ore mill constructed in 1796. Ownership of the properties was transferred to area pioneers Samuel Street and Thomas Clark by 1801, with the islands named "Clark Hill Islands" in 1805. The mills were burned by American forces on July 26, 1814, following the Battle of Lundy's Lane during the War of 1812.
Thomas Clark "T.C." Street took ownership of Clark Hill Islands in 1854, renaming them "Cynthia Islands". They became accessible to the public in 1877, when Sutherland Macklem, Street's heir, built a pair of suspension bridges to carry foot & carriage traffic across.
Pedestrian traffic had already been flocking to the surrounding grounds since the mid-1820s to visit "The Burning Spring", billed as Niagara Falls' "first tourist attraction". It continued in operation for nearly sixty years, until the Niagara Parks Commission took over the property and Cynthia Islands as well, in 1887.
Early 1900s: The Islands evolve.
When the Parks Commission took over, they renamed the islands in honor of Canadian Governor-General Lord Dufferin, who had been instrumental in establishing parkland along the river to replace "The Front", a notoriously rowdy tourist area. The islands remained untouched until 1902, when the "Ontario Power Company" began construction on their lower river power facility, which required river water to be drawn from a point just east of the islands.
The water diversion reduced the flow through the islands to an extent that the power company, through an earlier agreement with the Parks Commission, created a series of man-made islands and cascades to compensate. Initial work was completed by 1905, but the Parks Commission rejected the resulting layout, saying the arrangement was too formal and "out of place with the surroundings." Beginning in 1918, surplus dirt & stone were placed strategically around the islands, giving them a more natural look.
Public Usage.
Except for the years of World War II when the islands were barricaded, the public has enjoyed free access. For many years, bathing and swimming areas were located here, first established in 1907 and moving to a site further west by 1962. This area remained in use until the early 2000s, when it was removed due to safety concerns brought on by swimmers diving from surrounding bridges into the shallow water, as well as maintenance issues.
The north end of the islands also featured paddleboats, a service began in 1973 by the Niagara Parks Commission. The paddleboats were removed in the early 1990s, presumably out of safety as well.


Spermacoce ovalifolia

Spermacoce ovalifolia, the broadleaf false buttonweed, is a species of plants in the Rubiaceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, parts of the Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Trinidad, and the Windward Islands), and South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay).
"Spermacoce ovalifolia" is an annual herb about 30 cm tall. Leaves are ovate, up to 4 cm long. flowers are very small, in dense axillary clusters.


Kniphofia thomsonii

Kniphofia thomsonii, called Thomson's red-hot poker, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae, native to the Great Lakes countries of Africa. Its cultivar 'Stern's Trip' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Subtaxa.
The following varieties are accepted:
References.


Specklinia barbosana

Specklinia barbosana is a species of orchid plant native to Brazil.


Aa denticulata

Aa denticulata is a species of orchid in the genus "Aa". It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. It blooms in the winter.


Thalassisobates

 Thalassisobates littoralis is a species of millipede found in coastal habitats on sand or shingle, often hidden under seaweed.


Ptilimnium nodosum

Ptilimnium nodosum (synonym="Harperella nodosa"), common names piedmont mock bishopweed and harperella, is a plant native to riparian environments in the Southeastern United States, found at sites in West Virginia, Maryland, several Southeastern states such as Alabama and North Carolina, and the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
"Ptilimnium nodosum" was placed on the United States' Endangered Species List in 1988.


Acerentulus confinis

Acerentulus confinis is a species of proturan in the family Acerentomidae. It is found in Africa, Australia, Europe and Northern Asia (excluding China), and North America.
Subspecies.
These two subspecies belong to the species "Acerentulus confinis":


Punctelia riograndensis

Punctelia riograndensis is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in Africa and South America, it was formally described as a new species by Norwegian lichenologist Bernt Lynge in 1914, as "Parmelia riograndensis". The type specimen was collected in 1892 from Porto Alegre Municipality in Rio Grande do Sul State (Brazil) by Swedish lichenologist Gustav Malme. In 1982, Hildur Krog circumscribed the genus "Punctelia" to contain "Parmelia" species with rounded pseudocyphellae, and "P.  riograndensis" was one of the 22 species that she transferred to the new genus.
The lichen has a greenish-gray thallus measuring wide, and which is closely attached (adnate) to its substrate (tree bark). The lobes that comprise the thallus are crowded, sometimes overlapping, and measure wide. Pseudocyphellae on the thallus surface are abundant. The medulla is white. The lower thallus surface is either white, or variegated with black and white. It does not have maculae, pustulae, soredia, nor isidia. Ascospores have an ellipsoid to ovoid shape with one or two slightly spiky tips, and measure 20.0–26.5 by 12.5–16.0 μm. The conidia have an unciform (hooklike) shape and are 4–7 by about 1 μm.
The range of "Punctelia riograndensis" includes Africa and South America. In South America it has been recorded from Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.


Monterey National Forest

Monterey National Forest was established as the Monterey Forest Reserve by the U.S. Forest Service in California on June 25, 1906 with . It became a National Forest on March 4, 1907. On July 1, 1908 Pinnacles National Forest and San Benito National Forest were added. On August 8, 1919 the entire forest was transferred to Santa Barbara National Forest and the name was discontinued. The lands presently exist in Los Padres National Forest.


Eremophila chamaephila

Eremophila chamaephila, commonly known as earth-loving poverty bush is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a low, dense, spreading shrub with small, fleshy leaves and mauve to purple flowers.
Description.
"Eremophila chamaephila" is a low, spreading, densely foliaged shrub usually growing to high and wide. The leaves are arranged alternately along lumpy branches and are themselves lumpy on the lower side. They are mostly long and about wide and are dark green often purplish towards their end.
The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils and lack a stalk. There are 5 linear to lance-shaped green or purplish sepals which are long and have a lumpy surface. The petals are long and joined at their lower end to form a tube. The petal tube is purple on its outside surface and white, spotted purple inside. The outer surface is glabrous but the inside is hairy with the hairiness continuing onto the lower petal lobe and the 4 stamens extend slightly beyond the end of the petal tube. Flowering occurs between October and December and is followed by fruits which are almost spherical, about in diameter and are slightly fleshy, wrinkled when dry and have a thin, hard, glabrous covering.
Taxonomy and naming.
The species was first formally described by Ludwig Diels in 1905 and the description was published in "Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie". The specific epithet "chamaephila" means "lowly-" or "creeping-loving" referring to the low growing habit of this species.
Distribution and habitat.
"Eremophila chamaephila" occurs north of Esperance in the area between Ravensthorpe and Grass Patch in the Esperance Plains and Mallee biogeographic regions. It grows in sand or clay, often in disturbed sites like roadsides.
Conservation status.
"Eremophila chamaephila" is classified as "Priority Three" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.
Use in horticulture.
Earth-loving poverty bush is an ideal small, compact shrub for a very low hedge, along the edge of a footpath or as an understorey container plant. It can be grown from cuttings, taking several months to form roots in warmer weather or can be grafted onto "Myoporum" species. It prefers well-drained soil but is drought tolerant and frost hardy.


Ramaria myceliosa

Ramaria myceliosa is a species of coral fungus in the family Gomphaceae. Found in North America, it was originally described by Charles Horton Peck in 1904 with the name "Clavaria myceliosa". The type was collected by botanist Edwin Bingham Copeland in the mountains near Stanford University in California. E.J.H. Corner transferred it to the genus "Ramaria" in 1950. Giachini and colleagues proposed that "Ramaria myceliosa" is the same species as the European "Phaeoclavulina curta", but did not provide molecular evidence to support their suggested synonymy. In a recent (2014) publication on California fungi, the authors propose the transfer of "Ramaria myceliosa" to the genus "Phaeoclavulina", but , this transfer has not been accepted by either MycoBank or Index Fungorum.


Microphallus nicolli

Microphallus nicolli is a species of digenean parasite in the genus "Microphallus". Recorded hosts include the marsh rice rat ("Oryzomys palustris") in a saltmarsh at Cedar Key, Florida, where the crab "Eurytium limosum" is an intermediate host, and the sea otter ("Enhydra lutris") in central California. It was previously known as "Spelotrema nicolli".


Crataegus turkestanica

Crataegus turkestanica, the Turkestan hawthorn, is a species of hawthorn found in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran. They are typically found in association with "Juglans regia". Some authorities have it as a synonym of "Crataegus pseudoheterophylla" subsp. "turkestanica".


Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge

Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge is a 0.57 acre (2,300 m2) National Wildlife Refuge in central Minnesota. The refuge consists solely of two small islands in Mille Lacs Lake, and is the smallest National Wildlife Refuge in the United States. It was created on May 14, 1915 to preserve breeding habitat for several bird species. The islands are one of only four breeding colonies of common terns, a threatened species in Minnesota. Other native species breeding within the refuge include ring-billed and herring gulls and double-crested cormorants.
The islands can only be reached by boat. Landing on them is officially discouraged (though not forbidden), and instead visitors are asked to conduct their birdwatching from watercraft.
Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge is administered from Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge.


Macrocheles penicilliger

Macrocheles penicilliger is a species of mite in the family Macrochelidae. It is found in New Zealand.


Philotheca tubiflora

Philotheca tubiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a compact, much-branched with more or less cylindrical leaves and white to pale pink flowers arranged singly on the ends of branchlets. It is only known from the western edge of the Great Victoria Desert.
Description.
"Philotheca tubiflora" is a compact, much-branched shrub that typically grows to a height of and has branchlets that become grey to black with age. The leaves are thick, more or less cylindrical, about long with a small black point on the tip. The flowers are arranged singly on the ends of branchlets on a pedicel long. The five sepals are egg-shaped, long, and the five petals are narrowly elliptic, white to pale pink and about long. The ten stamens are joined to the petal tube and densely hairy above. Flowering occurs from June to September and the fruit is about long with a small beak.
Taxonomy.
"Philotheca tubiflora" was first described in 1971 by Alex George in the journal "Nuytsia" from specimens he collected near Laverton, where it was growing on a "rocky hill with "Callitris hugelii"". At the time, it was the first record of a "Philotheca" in Western Australia.
Distribution and habitat.
This philotheca grows on rocky outcrops near Laverton on the western edge of the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia.
Conservation status.
"Philotheca tubiflora" is classified as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife, meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations which are potentially at risk.


Eucalyptus apiculata

Eucalyptus apiculata, commonly known as the narrow-leaved mallee ash and is a mallee that is endemic to New South Wales. It has smooth white or greyish bark, narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three to seven, white flowers and urn-shaped or barrel-shaped fruit.
Description.
"Eucalyptus apiculata" is a mallee with smooth white or greyish bark. Young plants and coppice regrowth have leaves arranged in opposite pairs, linear to narrow lance-shaped leaves up to long and wide. They are the same glossy green colour on both sides. Adult leaves are narrow lance-shaped, long and wide, the same glossy green on both sides. There is a small point or hook on the end of the leaves. The flower buds are arranged in groups of three to seven, the groups on a peduncle long and the individual flowers a pedicel long. The mature buds are oval to club-shaped, long and wide with a conical operculum that has a small point on its top. Flowering occurs between October and March and the flowers are white. The fruit is an urn-shaped or barrel-shaped capsule long and wide on a pedicel long.
Taxonomy and naming.
"Eucalyptus apiculata" was first formally described in 1902 by Richard Thomas Baker and Henry George Smith who published the description in a paper entitled "A research on the eucalypts : especially in regard to their essential oils". The specific epithet ("apiculata") is a Latin word meaning "apiculate", referring to the leaves.
Distribution and habitat.
The narrow-leaved mallee ash is a rare species with a restricted distribution between Linden and Berrima where it grows in mallee shrubland.


Tubaria rufofulva

Tubaria rufofulva is a species of agaric fungus in the family Tubariaceae. Found in Australia, it was originally described in 1927 by John Burton Cleland as a species of "Pholiota". The fungus was transferred to the genus "Tubaria" in 1983.


Boletellus obscurecoccineus

Boletellus obscurecoccineus, known as the rhubarb bolete, is a species of fungus in the family Boletaceae, found in Australia, New Guinea, Java, Borneo, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. It is a distinctive and colourful bolete of the forest floor.
Taxonomy.
"Boletellus obscurecoccineus" was originally collected in Java and described by Franz Xaver Rudolf von Höhnel in 1914, and placed in the genus "Boletellus" by Rolf Singer in 1945. In 2011, Nian-Kai Zeng and Zhu L. Yang synonymised the Asian species "Boletus puniceus" and "Boletus megasporus" with "Boletellus obscurecoccineus". "Boletus puniceus", originally described from Kunming (Yunnan, China) in 1948, and later transferred to "Xerocomus" in 1979 and "Boletellus" in 2002, was already suspected by E.J.H. Corner in 1972 as being conspecific with "B. obscurecoccineus" in his monograph on Malaysian boletes. "Boletus megasporus" was described from the Xizang Autonomous Region of China in 1980. Comparison of the type specimens revealed no significant morphological differences between "B. obscurecoccineus" and "B. megasporus".
Description.
A brightly coloured and distinctive bolete, "Boletellus obscurecoccineus" has a rose-red or rhubarb-coloured, hemispherical to convex cap to a diameter of , with an overhanging margin when young. The cap may crack in older specimens, and reveal the yellow flesh beneath. The adnexed pores are five- or six-sided and yellow. They bruise blue in some specimens (although not generally in Western Australia). The narrow stipe lacks a ring, and may reach tall with a diameter of . It is reddish and scaled overall, fading to yellow under the cap. The spore print is a dark brown. The mycelium is white. There is no significant odour and the taste is mild. Under the microscope, the elongated pale yellow spores measure 14.5–19.5 by 6–7.5 μm.
Similar species.
Similar-looking African collections initially reported as "Boletellus obscurecoccineus" have been redescribed as "Boletellus rubrolutescens". The North American and European species "Boletus rubellus" has colouration that is somewhat similar to "B. obscurecoccineus", but it lacks the scaly stem of the latter.
Habitat and distribution.
The distribution includes Korea, New Guinea, Java, Borneo, Japan, and Taiwan. Within Australia, the rhubarb bolete has been recorded from southwestern Western Australia, and the southeast of New South Wales, and into Victoria and Tasmania.
The rhubarb bolete is an ectomycorrhizal species, found in the leaf litter of eucalyptus forests in Australia, and with oak and other deciduous trees in Asia. Fruit bodies appear over the summer and autumn, from July to November.
Despite its English name, whether this mushroom is safe to eat is unknown; however, the boletes are not a deadly poisonous mushroom variety, although many individuals get gastrointestinal distress from certain species, particularly species with red pigmentation.


Eucalyptus andrewsii

Eucalyptus andrewsii, commonly known as the New England blackbutt, is a tree native to New South Wales and Queensland in eastern Australia. It is a tree with rough bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped often curved leaves, flower buds in groups of between eleven and fifteen and hemispherical or cup-shaped fruit.
Description.
"Eucalyptus andrewsii" is a tree that grows to a height of with rough, finely fibrous, greyish brown bark on the trunk and main branches. The leaves on young plants are arranged in opposite pairs, broadly lance-shaped to egg-shaped, long, wide and bluish or greyish green. The adult leaves are lance-shaped, often curved, long and wide on a petiole long. The leaves are the same colour on both surfaces. The flower buds are arranged in groups of between eleven and fifteen on a peduncle long, the individual buds on a pedicel long. Mature buds are club-shaped, long and wide. Flowering occurs in summer and winter and the flowers are white. The fruit is a cup-shaped or hemispherical capsule, long and wide on a pedicel long.
Taxonomy and naming.
"Eucalyptus andrewsii" was first formally described in 1904 by Joseph Maiden from specimens collected in "many parts of the New England". The description was published in "Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales". The specific epithet ("andrewsii") honours the Australian geologist and botanist, Ernest Clayton Andrews.
Distribution and habitat.
New England blackbutt grows in woodland on shallow stony rises north from the Niangala district in New South Wales to the Eungella district in Queensland. It occurs in scattered populations but is locally common.


Sarcophrynium villosum

Sarcophrynium villosum is a species of plant in the Marantaceae family. It is found in Cameroon and Gabon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.


Caladenia variegata

Caladenia variegata is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to New Zealand. It has a single, sparsely hairy, long, thin leaf and one or two pink flowers.
Description.
"Caladenia variegata" is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and which usually grows singly, sometimes in colonies of up to ten. It has a single, dark green, sparsely hairy up to long, wide and which lies on the ground. One or two pink, occasionally white flowers about across are borne on a thick stem up to tall. The dorsal sepal is erect near its base but then curves forward, more or less forming a hood over the column and is greenish on its outer surface. The lateral sepals are broadly elliptic in shape and spread apart from each other, turning slightly downwards. The petals are also elliptic in shape but often sickle-shaped and have a pointed tip. The labellum is pale pink, white near its edges and has dark red bars. The sides of the labellum curve upwards, partly surrounding the column, the tip is yellow with notched edges and there are two rows of stalked calli with bright yellow heads along the centre of the labellum. Flowering occurs from November to January.
Taxonomy and naming.
"Caladenia variegata" was first formally described in 1885 by William Colenso and the description was published in "Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute". The specific epithet ("variegata") is a Latin word meaning "of different sorts, particularly colors".
Distribution and habitat.
"Caladenia variegata" occurs on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand and on the Chatham Islands, growing in forest, usually in leaf litter.


Acacia acutata

Acacia acutata is a shrub belonging to the genus "Acacia" and the subgenus "Phyllodineae" where it is endemic to south western Australia.
Description.
The intricate and pungent shrub typically grows to a height of . It has spinose and glabrous branchlets that are rigid and striate-ribbed and caducous stipules. The sessile and patent, rigid, green phyllodes have an inequilaterally triangular-lanceolate to semi-trullate shape. The phyllodes have a length of and a width of . They have five nerves and a prominent midrib. It blooms from September to October and produces yellow flowers. It has rudimentary inflorescences rudimentary with single-headed racemes that have an axes of less than in length. The spherical flower-heads contain 11 to 15 golden flowers. The undulate brown seed pods that form after flowering are prominently rounded over seeds. The pods have a length of up to and a width of . The mottles seeds within have an irregularly oblong to elliptic and are around in length.
Distribution.
It is native to an area in the Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia where it is found among granite outcrops and sandplains growing in gravelly sandy, loamy or clay soils. The bulk of the population of the shrub is found from around Wongan Hills in the north through to around Ongerup to around Lake King in the east where it is often situated as a part of woodland, mallee, shrubland or heathland communities.


Palaquium hispidum

Palaquium hispidum is a tree in the family Sapotaceae. The specific epithet "hispidum" means "coarsely hairy, bristly", referring to the species' twigs, buds, leaves and inflorescences which have such hair.
Description.
"Palaquium hispidum" grows up to tall. The bark is greyish white. Inflorescences bear up to eight flowers. The fruits are subglobose, up to long.
Distribution and habitat.
"Palaquium hispidum" is native to Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Its habitat is lowland mixed dipterocarp forests.
Conservation.
"Palaquium hispidum" has been assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The species is threatened by logging and conversion of forest land to palm oil plantations.


Tulipa systola

Tulipa systola, the desert tulip, is a species of tulip native to the Middle East; Sinai, the Levant, Anatolia, Iraq and Iran. A geophyte adapted to arid conditions, it can remain dormant or produce only leaves in bad years based on environmental cues.


Euryparasitus calcarator

Euryparasitus calcarator is a species of mite in the family Ologamasidae.


Hippomane horrida

Hippomane horrida is a plant species in the Euphorbiaceae first described for science in 1929. It is endemic to Barahona Province in the Dominican Republic in the West Indies.


Mammillaria bocasana

Mammillaria bocasana is a species of cactus in the subfamily Cactoideae. It is often sold as a "powder puff" cactus, and also as a "Powder Puff Pincushion." The plant is protected from collecting in the wild in Mexico.
Habitat.
In its natural habitat of Northern central Mexico, it is found between 1650–2300 meters above sea level. It grows on canyon walls, in volcanic rock and in semi-desert environs, often under bushes of native plants. It has been listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 2009.
Description.
"Mammillaria bocasana" is hemispherical in shape. It has "white, hair-like spines" that cover up its radial and hooked central spines. During the spring and summer, it bears several cream-colored flowers. Later it bears a red cylindrical fruit that contains reddish-brown seeds which display partially lateral hilum. Its form can be variable, with many different varieties or subspecies.
Cultivation.
"Mammillaria bocasana" can be propagated from seed. As it grows, it offsets, creating large mounds. This cactus is prone to rot and can tolerate temperatures of -7 degrees Celsius (20 degrees Fahrenheit) for short amounts of time. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.


Codium bulbopilum

Codium bulbopilum is a species of seaweed in the "Codiaceae" family.
The species is found along the coast of Western Australia, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island. It is found around Pacific Islands including American Samoa and Fiji.


Penicillium janczewskii

Penicillium janczewskii is an anamorph and filamentous species of the genus of "Penicillium" which was isolated from the rhizosphere of Vernonia herbacea. "Penicillium janczewskii" produces griseofulvin


Lavandula buchii

Lavandula buchii is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, endemic to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It was first described by Philip Barker-Webb and Sabin Berthelot, in a part of an 1844–1850 publication that has been dated to 1844.


Quercus poilanei

Quercus poilanei is an Asian species of tree in the family Fagaceae and the "ring-cupped oak" sub-genus. It has been found in northern Indochina (Thailand and Vietnam) and also in the Province of Guangxi in southern China.
"Quercus poilanei" is a tree up to 16 m. tall. Twigs are orange-brown with a felty coating of hairs. Leaves can be as much as 80 mm long. The acorn is ovoid-ellipsoid or globose, 15-20 × 13–15 mm, with a scar 5–7 mm in diameter.


Samuel P. Taylor State Park

Samuel P. Taylor State Park is a state park located in Marin County, California. It contains approximately of redwood forest and grassland. The park contains about of old-growth forest, some of which can be seen along the Pioneer Tree Trail.
History.
The park is named for Samuel Penfield Taylor, who found gold during the California Gold Rush and used some of his money to buy a parcel of land along Lagunitas Creek. In 1856, Taylor built the Pioneer Paper Mill, the first paper mill on the Pacific Coast. In the 1870s, the North Pacific Coast Railroad was built between Cazadero and a pier in Sausalito where passengers could transfer to a ferry to San Francisco. The railroad passed near Taylor's mill, and, ever the entrepreneur, he built the "Camp Taylor Resort" alongside the tracks. A destination for San Franciscans, the resort offered both a hotel and tent camping, as well as swimming, boating, fishing, and a dance pavilion.
Taylor died on January 22, 1886, and his family lost the mill and resort in the Panic of 1893. However, a 1910 newspaper advertisement for the "Camp Taylor Resort," touting its dance pavilion and on-site grocery and butcher, indicates that the resort continued to operate. The mill burned down in 1916, and in 1945 the State of California took possession of the property for non-payment of taxes.
During the state budget deficit, Taylor Park was one of many state parks that were at risk of closing due to lack of funding. Efforts were made to find funding to keep Samuel P. Taylor and other parks open. The "San Francisco Chronicle", on October 7, 2011, reported that "the National Park Service has agreed to take over security and operations of Samuel P. Taylor Park."


Carex abrupta

Carex abrupta is a species of sedge known by the common name abrupt-beaked sedge or abruptbeak sedge. It is native to the western United States from California to Idaho, where it grows in moist mountain habitat such as meadows.
Description.
This sedge forms a dense, erect clump exceeding 20 centimeters in height. The inflorescence is a rounded cluster of spikes 1 to 2 centimeters wide. Each fruit is surrounded by a sac called a perigynium which is boat-shaped to scoop-shaped with a very narrow, cylindrical beak coppery red to dark brown in color.


Rhizopogon truncatus

Rhizopogon truncatus is an ectomycorrhizal fungus in the family Rhizopogonaceae. It was described by American mycologist David Hunt Linder in 1924.


Heathcote National Park

Heathcote National Park is a protected national park that is located in the southern region of Sydney, New South Wales in eastern Australia, and is situated on Dharawal country. The national park is situated approximately southwest of the Sydney central business district, west of the South Coast railway line, the Princes Highway and Motorway, and the suburbs of and .
Geography.
The park consists of 2,679 hectares of woodland, predominantly dry schlerophyll forest on the ridges and low heath in the wetter areas. The Hawkesbury sandstone has been carved up by various watercourses like Heathcote Creek, Kingfisher Creek and Myuna Creek, creating deep valleys. The Hawkesbury sandstone has created a sandy, infertile soil that is typical of the Sydney region.
The main walking track is the Bullawarring Track, which stretches from Waterfall to Heathcote. It largely follows the valley of Heathcote Creek, the main watercourse in the park, as well as utilizing a maintenance road that leads from Woronora Dam to Heathcote Road.
It is bounded by Holsworthy and Pleasure Point to the north, Heathcote and Lucas Heights to the east, the Greater Western Sydney region to the west (which include the suburbs of Glenfield, Macquarie Fields and Campbelltown), and Helensburgh to the south in the Illawarra.
History.
Before European settlement, the Dharawal people, an Aboriginal Australian people, lived in the area. They left their mark at a number of known sites, which include shield trees along the Bullawarring Track and charcoal drawings along Myuna Creek. In addition, a number of Europeans lived in rough huts in the park during the Great Depression, leaving behind meagre ruins at places like Myuna Creek.
In the early 1930s, The Sydney Bushwalkers and the Mountain Trails Club of New South Wales had a lease on of land in the area, and were probably responsible for the creation of some of the early tracks and camp sites. This was the beginning of Heathcote National Park, which eventually grew to over two thousand hectares.
Features.
Landscape.
The park consists of a deeply dissected Hawkesbury sandstone plateau, part of the Woronora Plateau The creek gorges include Heathcote Creek, a tributary of the Georges River. The sandstone was formed 200 million years ago, and periods of uplift began about 94 million years ago. Each period of uplift caused stream erosion, which cut more deeply into the plateau surface. Heathcote Creek cascades down a number of rock pools and small waterfalls to the Woronora River at the northern end of the park.
Flora.
The ridges and drier slopes are covered in forest dominated by angophoras and eucalypts such as bloodwood, greygum, Sydney peppermint, and scribbly gum. Grass-trees are common. Low heath growth consists of shrubs, including ti trees, banksias, hakeas, and waxflowers. Gymea lilies and forest oaks grow on the moister slopes. Blackbutts and grevilleas grow in the Heathcote Creek Valley.
Fauna.
Sugar gliders, ring tail possums, and possibly eastern pygmy possums inhabit both Mirang Creek and Minda Gully. Swamp wallabies are also present. Honeyeaters are often seen, as well as superb lyrebirds. Fish, eels and crayfish are commonly found in the creeks.


Anoplodesmus saussurii

Anoplodesmus saussurii is a species of millipedes in the family Paradoxosomatidae. It was once thought endemic to Sri Lanka, but it was later found in Fiji and Mauritius.
Description.
It is about 21–33 mm in length. Adults are shiny dark brown to black in color. They are much largely aggregated species that can be found undercover of decaying litter layers in the agricultural and horticultural land areas and forests on humid soils. Mainly herbivores, they are known to eat any decaying and rotting leaves and vegetable parts, and even wood, decaying fish, and cow dung. After 20 to 25 days of copulation, female laid 200 to 400 eggs in earthen nests. One female may lay 2 to 4 times of egg masses in her lifetime. After seven moultings, stadia come out to surface after the onset of the rainy season.


Coreopsis hamiltonii

Coreopsis hamiltonii, the Mt. Hamilton coreopsis, is a rare California species of "tickseeds" in sunflower family. It is found only in a small region including Mount Hamilton and the Diablo Range in the southwestern San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Santa Clara, and Stanislaus Counties).
Description.
"Coreopsis hamiltonii" typically grows tall or sometimes taller when in bloom. The foliage is low growing, producing bright golden yellow colored flower heads and red purplish tinted peduncles. The foliage is deeply cut with a thin ferny shape.
It can be found blooming from March to May in California, where plants are found growing from above sea level.


Dipljapyx limbarae

Dipljapyx limbarae is a species of forcepstail in the family Japygidae.


Romulea sabulosa

Romulea sabulosa is a perennial geophyte that is assigned to the family Iridaceae. It has a few grooved thread-like leaves, and relatively large burgundy red trimerous flowers, reminiscent of crocus flowers, with yellow to light greenish with black markings and stamens with light green free filaments. It only occurs on sandy clay on renosterveld west of Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape province South Africa. It is called satynblom in Afrikaans.
Description.
"Romulea sabulosa" is a low to medium height perennial geophyte of high, that has a subterranean stem, that develops from a corm with a rounded base that is wrapped in a brown tunic with curved pointed teeth. The three to five thread-like leaves emerge directly from the soil, are about in diameter and have four grooves along their lengths. Over a season, one to four flowers may develop per corm. Each flower is subtended by two bracts that have a transparent, often brownish margin. The outer bract mostly has one keel on its upper surface and the transparent margin is narrow, while the inner bract has two keels and the papery margin is wider. The scentless, trimerous flower itself is dark red, sometimes pink, and has black blotches in a creamy green cup. The tepals that are fused in a tube at their base are inverted egg-shaped with a slightly indented tip 2½–4 cm (1–1.6 in) long. The outer tepals have a light yellow feathered stripes. The stamens consist of long free filaments topped by anthers of long. The stalk supporting the ripe fruit remains more or less erect. "Romulea sabulosa" flowers can be found from July till September.
Differences with related species.
"Romulea sabulosa" has slender, tapering, mostly pale green filaments, while "R. monadelpha" as short, oblong, black filaments that are pressed together or fused. The flower stalk of "R. sabulosa" is slender, more or less circular in cross section and does not curve when the fruit is ripe, but in "R. monadelpha" the flower stem is stout and has one flattened side while it spreads out when the fruit is ripe. The species occur in the same area near Nieuwoudtville, but have a different habitat: "R. sabulosa" occurs only on a light sandy clay known as tillite, while "R. monadelpha" grows on heavy dolerite clay.
Taxonomy.
"Romulea sabulosa" was described by the German botanist Rudolf Schlechter in 1907.
Distribution, habitat and ecology.
"Romulea sabulosa" is limited to the Bokkeveld plateau along the escarpment west of Nieuwoudtville where it grows in large swarms on a light sandy clay called tillite. The species has been observed to be pollinated exclusively by monkey beetles.
Conservation.
This species has a very small range of only , and is known from just five separate locations. Over the last half century about 80% of its habitat has been lost to wheat cultivation, but the decline has been stopped for the moment. Further development into crop land and invasive alien grasses may endanger the species in the future. It therefore is considered vulnerable.


Eophacops handwerki


Hulsea mexicana

Hulsea mexicana, the Mexican alpinegold or Mexican hulsea is a rare North American species of flowering plant in the daisy family
It has been found only in a small region straddling the border between Mexico and the United States. It grows in northern Baja California and in southern California (Imperial County and San Diego County). It grows in chaparral, yellow pine forests, and open habitats between in elevation. The first botanical specimens collected were from the Mexican side of the border.
Description.
"Hulsea mexicana" is an annuals or biennial herb sometimes reaching in height. Most of the leaves are on the stem rather than clustered around the base. One plant will generally produce 3–5 flower heads, each with 20–35 ray flowers surrounding a large number of tiny disc flowers.


Polystichum aleuticum

Polystichum aleuticum, the Aleutian holly fern or Aleutian shield fern, is an endangered species of the "Polystichum" genus and currently consisting of a small, vulnerable population endemic found only on Adak Island, Alaska, a remote island of the Aleutian Islands chain in the northern Pacific Ocean. In 1992, 112 specimens existed in the wild, and a recovery plan was implemented.
The Aleutian shield fern is the only native plant of Alaska on the federal endangered species list. As there are fewer than 150 plants known to exist, it is a very rare North American plant. It was listed as endangered in 1988. "Polystichum aleuticum" was first described in 1938, but it could not be located again until 1975 when a group was identified on Mount Reed on Adak Island. A second, third, and fourth population, all on Mount Reed, was located in 1988, 1993, and 1999, respectively. Searches on other Aleutian Islands since 1988 have failed to identify additional populations.
Distribution.
It is unlike any other known shield fern found in North America, and originally it was questioned whether it even belonged to the genus "Polystichum". However, it was found to be similar to a dwarf "Polystichum" species native to southwestern mountains of China and the Himalayas.
Description.
The "Polystichum aleuticum" fern is described as erect and approximately six inches tall. It usually found growing alone, rather than in groups. It has a fibrous root with dead leaf remnants attached. Its leaves, visible during the growing season, are light or dark olive green, and tapering. Each of its fronds has 15 to 25 pairs of leaflets (pinnae) that are either sessile or have short stalks and are 4 to 8 mm in length. The upper leaflets each have one spore-producing sori (sometimes two) on the leaflet under surface that is protected by the indusium, a flap of tissue. The spores are produced in July and August.


Amanita abrupta

Amanita abrupta, commonly known as the American abrupt-bulbed lepidella, is a species of fungus in the family Amanitaceae. Named for the characteristic shape of its fruit bodies, this white "Amanita" has a slender stem, a cap covered with conical white warts, and an "abruptly enlarged" swollen base. This terrestrial species grows in mixed woods in eastern North America and eastern Asia, where it is thought to exist in a mycorrhizal relationship with a variety of both coniferous and deciduous tree species.
Taxonomy.
"Amanita abrupta" was first described by American mycologist Charles Horton Peck in 1897, based on a specimen he found in Auburn, Alabama. Because the remains of the volva are not present on the bulb in dried, mature, specimens, Peck thought that the species should be grouped with "Amanita rubescens" and "A. spissa". Synonyms include binomials resulting from generic transfers by Jean-Edouard Gilbert to "Lepidella" in 1928, and to "Aspidella" in 1940. Both of these genera have since been subsumed into "Amanita".
"A. abrupta" is the type species of the section "Lepidella" of the genus "Amanita", in the subgenus "Lepidella", a grouping of related "Amanita" mushrooms characterized by their amyloid spores. Other North American species in this subgenus include "A. atkinsoniana", "A. chlorinosma", "A. cokeri", "A. daucipes", "A. mutabilis", "A. onusta", "A. pelioma", "A. polypyramis", "A. ravenelii", and "A. rhopalopus". European and Asian species (also in section "Lepidella") that are phylogenetically related—close to it in the evolutionary family tree—include "A. solitaria", "A. virgineoides", and "A. japonica".
The specific epithet "abrupta" refers to the shape of the swollen base, which is abruptly enlarged rather than gradually tapering. The species' common name is the "American abrupt-bulbed Lepidella".
Description.
In "Amanita abrupta", as with most mushrooms, the bulk of the organism lies unseen beneath the ground as an aggregation of fungal cells called hyphae; under appropriate environmental conditions, the visible reproductive structure (fruit body) is formed. The cap has a diameter of , and has a broadly convex shape when young, but eventually flattens. The central portion of the cap becomes depressed in mature specimens. The cap surface is "verrucose"—covered with small angular or pyramidal erect warts (1–2 mm tall by 1–2 mm wide at the base); the warts are smaller and more numerous near the margin of the cap, and small fragments of tissue may be hanging from the margin of the cap. The cap surface, the warts, and the flesh are white. The warts can be easily separated from the cap, and in mature specimens they have often completely or partly disappeared. The white gills are placed moderately close together, reaching the stem but not directly attached to it.
The stem is tall, and slender, with a diameter of . It is white, smooth (glabrous), solid (that is, not hollow internally), and has an abruptly bulbous base with the shape of a flattened sphere; it may develop longitudinal splits on the sides. The base is often attached to a copious white mycelium—a visual reminder that the bulk of the organism lies unseen below the surface. The ring is membranous, and persistent—not weathering away with time; the ring may be attached to the stem with white fibers. The mushroom has no distinct odor. The mushroom is considered inedible; it is generally not recommended to consume "Amanita" mushrooms as some are very deadly.
Microscopic characteristics.
When collected in deposit, such as with a spore print, the spores appear white. Viewed with a microscope, the spores are broadly elliptical or roughly spherical, smooth, thin-walled, and have dimensions of 6.5–9.5 by 5.5 by 8.5 µm. Spores are amyloid (meaning they take up iodine when stained with Melzer's reagent) The basidia (spore-bearing cells on the edges of gills) are four-spored and measure 30–50 by 4–11 µm. The bases of the basidia have clamp connections—short branches connecting one cell to the previous cell to allow passage of the products of nuclear division. The cap cuticle comprises a layer of densely interwoven, sightly gelatinized, filamentous hyphae that are 3–8 µm in diameter. The stem tissue is made of sparse, thin, longitudinally oriented hyphae measuring 294 by 39 µm.
Similar species.
The fruit bodies of "Amanita kotohiraensis", a species known only from Japan, bears a superficial resemblance to "A. abrupta", but "A. kotohiraensis" differs in having scattered floccose patches (tufts of soft woolly hairs that are the remains of the volva) on the cap surface, and pale yellow gills. "A. polypyramis" fruit bodies have also been noted to be similar to "A. abrupta"; however, it tends to have larger caps, up to in diameter, a fragile ring that soon withers away, and somewhat larger spores that typically measure 9–14 by 5–10 µm. The amyloidity and size of the spores are reliable characteristics to help distinguish "A. abrupta" specimens with less prominently bulbous bases from other lookalike species.
Mycologists Tsuguo Hongo and Rokuya Imazeki suggested in the 1980s that the Japanese mushroom "A. sphaerobulbosa" was synonymous with the North American "A. abrupta". However, a 1999 study of "Amanita" specimens in Japanese herbaria concluded that they were closely related but distinct species, due to differences in spore shape and in the microstructure of the volval remnants. Another similar species, "A. magniverrucata", is differentiated from "A. abrupta" by a number of characteristics: the universal veil is clearly separated from the flesh of the cap; the volval warts disappear more quickly because the surface of the cap cuticle gelatinizes; the partial veil is more persistent; the spores are smaller and roughly spherical; on the underside of the partial veil, the stem has surface fibrils that are drawn upward so as to somewhat resemble a cortina (a cobweb-like protective covering over the immature spore bearing surfaces); "A. magniverrucata" has a known distribution limited to the south western coast of North America.
Habitat, distribution, and ecology.
The fruit bodies of "A. abrupta" grow on the ground, typically solitary, in mixed conifer and deciduous forests, usually during autumn. The frequency with which fruit bodies appear depends on several factors, such as season, location, temperature, and rainfall. The mushroom has been described as common in the Southeastern United States; in Texas, it has been called both infrequent, and common in the Big Thicket National Preserve. Like most other "Amanita" species, "A. abrupta" is thought to form mycorrhizal relationships with trees. This is a mutually beneficial relationship where the hyphae of the fungus grow around the roots of trees, enabling the fungus to receive moisture, protection and nutritive byproducts of the tree, and affording the tree greater access to soil nutrients. "Amanita abrupta" is widely distributed throughout eastern North America, where it has been found as far north as Quebec, Canada, and as far south as Mexico. Orson K. Miller claims to have found it in the Dominican Republic where it appeared to be growing in a mycorrizhal association with pine trees. Kuo also mentions a mycorrhizal relationship with both hardwoods and conifers, while Tulloss lists additional preferred tree hosts such as beech, birch, fir, tsuga, oak, and poplar. However, "A. abrupta" has been shown experimentally to not form mycorrhizae with Virginia Pine.
Pharmacology.
Animal test based studies (mice) with aqueous extracts of "Amanita abrupta" have demonstrated hepatotoxic potential. Liver cell necrosis can be encountered. 2-Amino-4,5-hexadienoic acid is associated with these effects.


Kamuku National Park

The Kamuku National Park is a Nigerian national park in Kaduna State, Nigeria, with a total area of about .
The park has a typical Sudanian Savanna ecology.
Location and history.
The park is located in the west of Kaduna State, and is adjacent to the Kwiambana Game Reserve to the north west and 14 km away from main town.
It was established in 1936 as the Native Authority Forest Reserve of Birnin Gwari under the Northern Nigeria Government.
It was upgraded from a state Game Reserve to a National Park in May 1999, in part due to the success of a community-based project promoting sustainable resource usage, managed by Savanna Conservation Nigeria, a national NGO.
The Federal government has been seeking to partner with foreign investors to develop eco-tourism in this and other national parks.
Environment.
The park has generally flat terrain, sloping gradually upwards to the Birnin Gwari Ridge along the eastern boundary.
Natural features of interest include the Dogon Ruwa Waterfalls; the Goron Dutse, a large isolated inselberg with a smooth surface stratified in a pattern of black and white squares; and the Tsaunin Rema, a hill made of large boulders piled on top of each other, with a large population of rock hyraxes.
Vegetation is Guinea Savanna with some transitional Sudan Savanna elements in places. The park and the nearby forest reserves have some of the best preserved blocks of this ecosystem in the country.
Dominant trees include "Isoberlinia doka", "Terminalia avicennioides" and "Detarium macrocarpum". Other common trees include "Daniellia oliveri", "Nauclea latifolia", "Acacia", "Lophira lanceolata", "Parkia biglobosa", "Prosopis africana" and "Isoberlinia tomentosa". The riparian forests that line small, seasonal rivers often include oil palms ("Elaeis guineensis").
Other common plant species include "Afzelia", "Monotes" and "Raphia" shrubs.
Fauna.
Mammals include elephants, roan antelopes, duikers, hartebeest, baboons, warthog, bushbuck, patas monkeys, and green monkeys. There are at least 177 species of birds, including migrants and residents.
The park is important for species such as the secretarybird ("Sagittarius serpentarius"), Denham's bustard ("Neotis denhami") and the Abyssinian ground-hornbill ("Bucorvus abyssinicus") which are rare in other parts of Nigeria.
People.
The area in and around the park is the home of the Gwari and Kamuku people, traditional farmers, hunters, pastoralists and craftsmen, noted for weaving, mat making and pottery.
The Gwari are said to have originated from Zungeru in Niger State, and the Kamuku are said to have come from the Sokoto and Katsina areas during the Fulani jihad at the start of the 19th century.
The park includes places considered sacred by these people, such as hills, rock outcrops, marshes and streams, and the ancient Parnono Shrine.
The present town of Birnin Gwari was founded in 1957 by Gwari people who had migrated from an earlier settlement about 50 km to the north.
Hunting and illegal cattle-grazing by the pastoralist settlements on the edge of the park pose threats to the park environment.


Sebastiania hexaptera

Sebastiania hexaptera is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It was described in 1902. It is native to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Martinique.