The Wild Cotton of South Florida. (6285)
Authors:
J.M. Stewart* - University of Arkansas M.J. Horak - Monsanto
E.W. Rosenbaum - Monsanto
Abstract:
From 1934 to 1938 a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project tried to eliminate cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) from Florida (FL) and the area is still under APHIS quarantine as a potential reservoir or transit point for insect pests. However, due to the success of the WPA program, FL lists cotton as an endangered species. EPA regulations prevent commercial production of transgenic, insect-protected cotton south of Hwy 60 to eliminate the potential for outcrossing to the native cotton.
Little information is available concerning the ecological niche of wild cotton or its distribution and persistence in FL. Thus, a biogeographical survey was conducted to document the current distribution and status of wild cotton in FL. A list of herbarium collections of cotton in FL was developed, and numerous professionals were interviewed. From this, a survey route was established that included many of the known or likely sites of cotton. The record and this survey confirm that native cotton is rare in FL and found only in remote or protected areas immediately adjacent to the sea. The populations were not feral escapes but were a part of the native vegetation with characteristics of wild plants. Cotton
populations are stable and perhaps spreading in the Flamingo area of the Everglades. A few populations occur on islands or coastal areas of the west FL coast as far north as St Petersburg.
Speaker Information: James McD. Stewart, University of Arkansas, CSES, PTSC 115University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701; Phone: 479-575-5722; E-mail: [email protected]
Session Information: Monday, November 1, 2004, 1:10 PM-2:15 PM Presentation Start: 1:10 PM
Keywords: wild cotton; Florida; Distribution; Characteristics
