Inventory and Analysis of the Pteridophytes of Carter Caves State Resort Park, Carter County, Kentucky

Abstract

Carter Caves State Resort Park (CCSRP) is comprised of 800 ha in Carter County, Kentucky. A field-based inventory of the pteridophytes of the park was conducted from September 2005-October 2007. Additionally, pteridophyte collections at regional herbaria were examined for specimens from the park. These efforts yielded a pteridophyte flora of 46 species and one hybrid for CCSRP; this is 61% of Kentucky's known pteridophyte flora. Index of similarity values with other published floras ranged from 22.2% to 84.5%. CCSRP had over twice the predicted number (21) of pteridophyte species based on a species-area curve constructed with data from other regional floras.