Carolina Water Horehound

Description

Lycopus cokeri Ahles, a narrow endemic to the Sandhills region of North and South Carolina, was never validly published, although included in the Guide to the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, and Bell 1964). Field and herbarium studies have shown that this taxon is morphologically distinct from related taxa, that it occupies a unique range and habitat, and that it is valid at the species level. A Latin diagnosis is provided to validate publication. A key to Carolinian Lycopus is given.