flowers, possibly of hybrid origin, and known 

 from mountains of western North Carolina (7 

 counties) and eastern Tennessee (4 counties). 

 Rare and local but protected by introduction 

 into cultivation in 1901 (Dayton 1943). North 

 Carolina: collected in Yancey County within 

 Pisgah National Forest and in Avery County, 

 where this National Forest also occurs. Appar- 

 ently not yet known from Great Smoky Moun- 

 tains National Park in both States. 



Ashe birch, Betula uber (Ashe) Fern. (B. 

 lenta var. uber Ashe) was classed as probably 

 extinct until rediscovered in 1975. It was named 

 in 1918 from Smyth County, southwestern Vir- 

 ginia, apparently near the Jefferson National 

 Forest. Rediscovery was reported by Ogle and 

 Mazzeo (1975, 1976). Reed (1975) concluded 

 that the few trees found on private land had 

 been planted and that they probably represented 

 the hybrid between yellow birch, B. alleghani- 

 ensis Britton, and low birch, B. pumila L. var. 

 glandidifera Reg., and known also as Purpus 

 birch, B. xpurpusii C. K. Schneid. If shown 

 to be an artificial hybrid, this birch should be 

 removed from lists of both native and rare 

 trees. 



Florida 



Four local species and 2 local varieties of hard- 

 woods are found within Florida's 3 National 

 Forests. One is within Apalachicola National 

 Forest in the northwestern part of the State. 

 Another is to be sought in Osceola in the north- 

 ern part. 



Ocala National Forest, in the north central 

 part, has 3 of the local species and the 2 local 

 varieties. It is of special interest as the south- 

 ernmost National Forest in continental United 

 States. The sand hill or lake region of central 

 Florida is characterized by scrub vegetation of 

 everygreen oaks and sand pine as well as ham- 

 mocks with broadleaf evergreens. This region 

 where temperate and subtropical plants meet 

 is also a center of local species. However, very 

 few tropical trees extend so far north, accord- 

 ing to a recent list of the woody plants (Mohlen- 

 brock 1976). 



Southern Florida, which lacks National For- 

 ests, has many tropical tree species absent 

 northward. The rare tropical trees of South 

 Florida were the subject of the second report in 

 this series. 



Scrub hickory, Carya floridana Sarg. A shrub 

 or small tree of scrub vegetation on sandy ridges 

 of central Florida from Volusia and Marion 

 south to Charlotte and Palm Beach Counties, in- 



cluding Ocala National Forest in Marion County 

 (Ward 1963). This local species is not rare. 



Dune holly, Ilex opaca var. arenicola (Ashe) 

 Ashe. A variety of American holly (Ilex opaca 

 Ait.), distinguished as a shrub or small tree 

 on dry sandy sites in sand pine — evergreen 

 oak scrub having smaller, stiffer leaves. North- 

 eastern to central Florida (Clay to Highlands 

 Counties), through the Ocala National Forest. 

 Proposed as threatened, perhaps because its 

 evergreen, leathery, spiny leaves, and large 

 red berries are a source of Christmas decora- 

 tions. Recorded as common in the scrub vege- 

 tation of the southern part of the Florida lake 

 region and less common northward. 



Yellow anise-tree, Illicium parviflorum Michx. 

 A large spreading shrub or small tree rare and 

 local in east central Florida, proposed as threat- 

 ened (Smith 1947, fig. 8). Recorded from 5 

 counties: Marion, Volusia, Seminole, Lake, and 

 Polk. Ocala National Forest : Lake George, Lake 

 Kerr, and Juniper Springs Recreation Area in 

 Marion County and Alexander Springs in Lake 

 County. 



Ashe magnolia, Magnolia ashei Weatherby. A 

 small tree or shrub, proposed as threatened, 

 local in northwestern Florida in the Coastal 

 Plain along the Gulf of Mexico. Recorded from 

 8 counties, Leon and Wakulla west to Santa 

 Rosa. Within the boundaries of Apalachicola 

 National Forest in upland woodlands along the 

 Ochlockonee River, Wakulla and Leon Counties, 

 also Liberty County (Kurz and Godfrey 1962). 

 The scientific and common names honor the dis- 

 coverer, William Willard Ashe (1872-1932) of 

 the USDA Forest Service. This species is closely 

 related to bigleaf magnolia, Magnolia macro- 

 phylla Michx., which has wider distribution 

 northward. 



Silkbay, Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng. var. 

 humilis (Nash) Kopp (P. humilis Nash). Pro- 

 posed as threatened. A compact shrub 6-10 ft. 

 high or a small tree in scrub vegetation on sand 

 hills of central Florida and extending north- 

 ward (Kopp 1966). Collected in Marion and 

 Lake Counties and apparently within Ocala 

 National Forest. 



Florida willow, Salix floridana Chapm. Rare, 

 proposed as endangered. A shrub or very small 

 tree reported as "a rare species apparently on 

 the verge of extinction" (Ball 1943). Recorded 

 from southern Georgia (Pulaski and Early 

 Counties, the plants in the first locality probably 

 destroyed), and from northern Florida (Colum- 

 bia, Levy, Putnam, Marion, Lake, and Orange 

 Counties). Originally described from Jackson 

 County (Marianna) but not found there in 



