Journal of the Oklahoma Native Plant Society, Volume 15, December 2015


Oklahoma Native Plant Record 3 
Volume 15, December 2015 
 

 

Foreword 
 

 After 15 years, we are more than pleased with the variety of excellent articles submitted and 
accepted for publication in the Oklahoma Native Plant Record. This year, as most years, together, 
they meet all ONPS goals. 
 “Encouraging the study of native plants.” We never know how the record of a single study will 
encourage future research, but we are sure our historic article will be of special value to today’s 
botanists and ecologists studying historic species distributions and environmental changes. In 
1934, Ben Osborn may not have been aware of how valuable his list of flowering dates would be 
to the issue of global warming, but his article, “First Flowering Dates for Central Oklahoma” 
fills that role. In his preface to that article, Dr. Wayne Elisens contributes the history that puts 
that data into perspective. Floristic surveys, like that of Black Mesa by Amy Buthod and Bruce 
Hoagland from the Oklahoma Biological Survey, and descriptions like those in Forest Structure and 
Fire History at Lake Arcadia by Chad King, from the University of Central Oklahoma, make 
future comparative studies not only possible, but likely. 
 “Encouraging the protection of native plants.” Kudzu (Pueraria montana) has long been described as 
an invasive species, but like many exotic species that have been introduced without thought of 
how they would interact with native species, it didn’t start out that way. Marli Claytor and Karen 
Hickman from Oklahoma State University summarize the current extent of Kudzu and what 
might be done to protect our native species. 
 “Encouraging the propagation of native plants.” The risks of monoculture plantings and the 
benefits of planting multiple species within gardens is the topic of the article by Oklahoma State 
University’s Bonner, Rebek, Cole, Kahn, and Steets. This research is important for landscapers 
and gardeners because of plant species’ effects on arthropod abundance, a main point of 
Douglas Tallamy’s recent presentations at the Society’s events in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. 
Their article provides the data and reasons to heed his advice. 
 “Encouraging the appreciation of native plants.” For enthusiasts and plant lovers, this year we have 
started a new tradition, by chosing our Critic’s Choice Essay from previous “Botanist’s Corner” 
articles published in the Gaillardia, the Society’s newsletter. This year’s essay, by the late Paul 
Buck, about an often maligned native species, is entitled “Mistletoe, Phoradendron serotinum”. 
 “Encouraging the use of native plants.” In the past, we have published articles about how Native 
Americans used native plant species. “Antifungal Activity in Extracts of Plants from 
Southwestern Oklahoma against Aspergillus flavus” shows us how plants can be used for more 
current medicinal purposes. It is also a great example of research projects that can inspire 
students who are involved to continue in botany. This year’s student research project is from 
Tahzeeba Frisby and her students at Cameron University in Lawton. 
 As you can see, articles for all interest groups of our membership (gardeners, academic 
faculty, landscapers, and enthusiasts) are represented. It is the wide variety of authors who 
contribute to our journal that helps us bring those many interests together in ways that best 
promote our goals. Why not consider submitting your manuscript next year? Remember that our 
editorial board includes a manuscript editor, Dr. Mark Fishbein, who can find help for first time 
and citizen-scientist authors. Tell us about your ideas and submit your articles early, so we can 
see that your work gets the most helpful reviews and comments. 
 Don’t forget that The Oklahoma Native Plant Record is a professionally reviewed publication, 
listed globally in the “Directory of Open Access Journals”, and our abstracts are indexed in the 
“Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International”, which is based in the U.K.  
 
Sheila Strawn, Managing Editor