THE VASCULAR PLANTS OF TAYLOR COUNTY, WISCONSIN

摘要

The major part of this work is an annotated checklist of vascular plants growing or known to have grown outside of cultivation in Taylor County, Wisconsin. The list is based on field work in the years 1993-1997 and specimens at several Wisconsin herbaria. It includes the great white pines that once towered over all other trees (and still do in a few places) in the primeval forest that once covered this land, as well as the "little bits of things growing in the cracks of walls," many of which arrived later with the European invaders. It aspires to be a complete list but ultimately fails in this, as all similar works fail, because the flora is ever-changing and there are always new and overlooked species to be discovered. Taylor County has long been a blank spot on too many species range maps, especially considering the large amount of public land within its borders. The reasons for this are not entirely clear but likely have to do with its location in the state―far from the populated south, but not quite "up north," everyone's favorite vacation destination+and with the false perception that this area lacks interesting botanical sites and natural areas. With the notable exception of Lincoln County, adjacent counties also lack comprehensive vascular plant surveys. Even in a well-botanized state such as Wisconsin, there is much yet to be done before we have a complete picture of the flora.