"LOST" SPECIES OF KENTUCKY LILIACEAE 



EDWARD T. BROWNE, JR. 



Department of Botany 



University of Kentucky, Lexington 



During the course of some investigations of the Liliaceae of Ken- 

 tucky, several species have been found on deposit in herbaria which 

 were collected no more recently than 50 or 100 or more years ago. 

 It is not known whether these species still occur in the state. In addi- 

 tion, there are several other species in the Liliaceae which would be 

 expected to occur in the state on the basis of their reported distribu- 

 tion in adjacent states but of which there are no known records ( Small, 

 1933; Greenwell, 1935; Deam, 1940; Steyermark, 1940; McFarland, 

 1942; Braun, 1943; Fernald, 1950; Gleason, 1952; Strausbaugh and 

 Core, 1952; Jones and Fuller, 1955; McGilliard, 1955; and Mohlenbrock 

 and Voigt, 1959 ) . Therefore, whether a species has not been reported 

 from the state for a long period of time or botanists have failed to col- 

 lect and report it, the species is effectively lost or unknown to botanical 

 science as far as its occurrence in this state is concerned. There are 

 examples of the former type on record for other states the best known 

 of which is that of Franklinia Altamaha Marsh, in Georgia. 



Probably the most important example of a "lost" species of Liliaceae 

 in Kentucky is Smilacina stellata ( L. ) Desf . As the writer has pointed 

 out in a previous paper, S. stellata was collected during the last cen- 

 tury, but no record is known of its occurrence in the state in the 20th 

 century or possibly in 100 years or more. (Browne, 1961). In spite of 

 repeated attempts on the part of the writer and his colleagues to re- 

 locate S. stellata, there has been no success. 



The record of the occurrence of this species in the state is as 

 follows : 



(Jefferson Co.). Corn Island, Louisville, C. W. Short, M.D., s.n. 



Kentucky, 1840. (PH 783418) 

 (Jefferson Co.). In sylvis. Louisville, Ky. s.d. C. Mohr, 2921. 



(MO 147191) 

 ( ? Co.). Kentucky, 1840. C. W. Short, M.D., s.n. (GH, 



PH, NY) 



1 This work was supported by grants awarded the writer by the Faculty Re- 

 search Committee, Graduate School, University of Kentucky. Appreciation is 

 expressed to the Committee and to Dr. Herbert P. Riley who read the manuscript 

 and made several valuable suggestions. 



