HALSE, RICHARD R.* AND KATHY MERRIFIELD. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, 2082 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-2902. - A floristic survey of Bruno Mire in the central Cascade Range, Oregon.
Bruno Mire is a 12 hectare sedge/grass-dominated wetland with a
mat-forming aquatic bryophyte layer surrounded by a second-growth
fir/hemlock/spruce forest at an elevation of 1224 m on the west slope
of the Cascade Range. From 1991 through 1999, we surveyed the flora in
all habitats and substrates within the area surrounded by the high
water table, including all those in open water, marsh, and upland
islands. Vascular plants were represented by 41 families comprising
119 species in 88 genera. The largest family representations were
Cyperaceae (4 genera, 15 spp.), Poaceae (7 genera, 10 spp.),
Asteraceae (7 genera, 10 spp.), Rosaceae (8 genera, 9 spp.), and
Ericaceae (5 genera, 8 spp.). Bryophytes were represented by 38
families comprising 65 species in 43 genera. The largest family
representations were Mniaceae (4 genera, 10 spp.), Brachytheciaceae (4
genera, 7 spp.), Hylocomiaceae (4 genera, 6 spp.), Dicranaceae (2
genera, 5 spp.), and Scapaniaceae (1 genus, 4 spp.). The variety of
habitats within Bruno Mire is such that the floristic diversity
exceeds those of Torrey Lake Mire and Crater Lake Sphagnum Bog in the
central and southern Oregon Cascades.
Key words: aquatic bryophytes, Cascade Range, floristic survey, mire