New Jersey's Threatened Plant Species PROPERTY OF NEW JERSEY D.E.P. INFORMATION RESOURCE CENTER DEP QK 86 .Nif5 S69 1985 N.J. D.E.P. · Division of Parks and Forestry .tEP PROPERTY Of NEW JERSEY wrc-t D.E.P. INFORMATION 8~-: RESOURCE CENTER .. Ni ........ ~9 NEW JERSEY'S Fl()5 THREATENED PLANT SPECIES ,_.,, I OFFICE OF NATURAL LANDS MANAGEMENT CN 404 109 WEST STATE STREET TRENTON, NJ 08625 AUGUST, 1984 (REVISED - JANUARY 1985) THOMAS H. KEAN ROBERT E. HUGHEY GOVERNOR COMMISSIONER Preparation of this booklet was made possible by the New Jersey Green Acres Program, which provided consultant's fees, and the State of New Jersey Natural Lands Trust, which contributed to printing costs . NEW JERSEY'S THREATENED PLANT SPECIES PREFACE The following list was prepared by David B. Snyder, Consultant, for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Natural Lands Management (ONLM). Our objective in contracting with Mr. Snyder was to obtain a prioritized up-to-date list of those species that ONLM should consider of immediate importance for protection efforts. It is used internally for natural resource planning and management practices and is available to the public. We hope that this list will increase public awareness of this neglected feature of our natural heritage and also stimulate public involvement in plant protection at the local level. It is important to note that this list is not official, as no legislation currently exists mandating its formation or providing protection for these species. Also, the State has not attempted to obtain internal or public review of the list. We do feel that this list should be considered a solid basis for any future legislatively-mandated list subsequent to a thorough review by the public and government agencies. Other rare plant lists are available and are of high quality. The Pinelands Commission is responsible for protecting the habitats of 54 officially threatened or endangered plants within the Pinelands. Early statewide lists include Rare or Endangered Vascular Plants of New Jersey compiled by David E. Fairbrothers and Mary Y. Hough in 1973 (Science Notes No. 14, New Jersey State Museum, Reprinted 1975), and Rare and Endangered Vascular Plant Species in New Jersey prepared in 1981 by David B. Snyder and V. Eugene Vivian (The Conservation and Environmental Studies Center, Inc. in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The Department of Environmental Protection recently joined hands with The Nature Convervancy to establish a Natural Heritage Program that is now operating within ONLM. This program is assembling a data base on threatened plant species, and is eager to accept public input. Please contact ONLM if you have any questions or comments on the list or wish to share your knowledge with us. Thomas F. Hampton, Administrator Office of Natural Lands Management Cover: Small Whorled Po gonia ( I sot ria medeoloides). This orchid is New Jersey's only federally listed Endangered plant species and is presently known to occur in the State at only two locations. Illustration by Connie Lucas Halliwell. ,, I NEW JERSEY'S THREATENED PLANT SPECIES Prepared by: David B. Snyder1' The term ''threatened" is here used to encompass all species of plants whose continued survival in either the U.S. or New Jersey is, or may soon be, in jeopardy. The list is arranged in four priorities, then alphabetically by genus and species. Nomenclature generally follows Fernald (1950), except for the Orchidaceae which is according to Luer (1975). National List of Scientific Plant Names (1982) has also been consulted for more recent nomenclatural revisions. Common names have been provided when known, and were derived from various sources. For species which have no popular common name, a literal translation of the Latin is given, and is largely from Anderson (1980). Major synonyms for most species can be found in Snyder and Vivian (1981). Included on this list are those species whose rarity is national or global and also those species of state significance. These species are all in jeopardy of extinction or extirpation and, unless protected, will likely become so. One should note that the list does not represent a complete and final compilation of rare New Jersey plants. This list includes only those species which require immediate protection, and may be modified as additional information becomes available. The determination and selection of species on this list was based on the following criteria: 1. Species which are known or believed to be rare throughout their worldwide ranges. 2. Species of extreme rarity in New Jersey, e.g. species known historically from a single population or those restricted to a small or relatively small geographical section of the State. 3. Species restricted to specialized or fragile habitats, which are rare and/or particularly vulnerable to adverse disturbance. 4. Species which, although historically were once more widespread in the State, are showing a drastic decline in numbers and are now known from a very few individuals or stations. 5. Due to the poor representation in the herbarium, as well as the many misidentifications, the genus Carex and, to a lesser extent, other members of the Sedge and Grass Families, have been judged by special criteria. Included are only those species which are reported rare throughout their geographical ranges, species known from single collections made 50-100 years ago, and those species known historically from 1-2 stations and currently known from extant populations. Priority System A ranking consisting of four priorities was devised to distinguish those species whose rarity is national or global from those species found to be rare in New Jersey, although they may be more frequent elsewhere. Priority 1 Includes U.S. Endangered species (indicated by two asterisks), and species currently under Federal review (Federal Register, 1980, 1983) as being either Endangered or Threatened (indicated by a single asterisk). Also included are species which, while not currently under Federal review, are known or believed to be rare throughout their worldwide ranges. •'•The author wishes to express his appreciation to the following individuals for their assistance in the preparation of this report: Vincent Abraitys, Sara Davison, David Fairbrothers, Ted Gordon, Tom Halliwell, Janice Meyer, Larry Morse, Richard Radis and Alfred Schuyler. 2 Priority 2 - Those species which are rare in New Jersey but are generally found to be more frequent outside of the State. These are species known to be extant based on collections or observations made within the last 10-20 years. (At least half of these species have been collected or observed within the last 5 years.) Priority 3 - Those species which are of rare occurrence in New Jersey, but are not known from current extant stations. Many of these species are inconspicuous plants, often occupying habitats difficult to search, and are therefore easily overlooked. Many of these species are probably still extant. If found, the species should be placed in Priority 2. Priority 4 - The occurrence of nearly all these species in the State is based on single collections, most of which were made prior to 1900 . The localities for many of these species have been destroyed or greatly altered. It is possible too that some of these plants represent transient or accidental species, and were never established as members of the State' s flora. It is a reasonable assumption that many of these species are extirpated from the State. If found, the species should be placed in Priority 2. Habitat Code Although this code can be used to indicate general habitats, it was primarily devised to illustrate the high number of Pine Barren species listed, as well as those species occurring in aquatic or wetland habitats. The importance and vulnerability of these habitats is thus illustrated. The following is an explanation of the acronyms used: PB (Pine Barren) - Speci es which occur or have occurred in the Pinelands National Reserve. This designation is primarily political and geographical, and does not necessarily reflect habitat preference. CP (Coastal Plain) - Species occurring on the Inner Coastal Plain and Cape May peninsula , exclusive of the Pinelands National Reserve. UP (Upland) - Species which occur in the Piedmont, Highland, and Ridge and Valley sections of the State. SB (Sea beach) - Species restricted to seabea ch and dune communities. MT (Mountain) - Species restricted to exposed high elevation ridgetops and rock faces. AQ (Aquatic) - Species occurring in open water of ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams. WL (Wetlands) - Species occurring in bogs, swamps, marshes, streambanks, and floodplains. a (Acidic) - Species restricted to, or preferring acidic conditions - primarily used to indicated sphagnous bogs and swamps. b (Brackish) Species restricted to, or preferring brackish or intertidal marshes. c (Calcareous) Species restricted to, or preferring calcareous conditions - primarily used to indicate calcareous bogs and swamps. s (Saline) - Species restricted to, or preferring salt marshes or other saline conditions . References Cited Anderson, K. 1980. A check list of the plants of New Jersey. Rancocas Nature Center, Mount Holly, New Jersey. 3 Federal Register. 1980. Vol. 45, No. 242, Washington, D.C. Federal Register. 1983. Vol. 48, No. 229, Washington, D.C. Fernald, M. L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany, 8th ed. American Book Co. , New York. Luer, C.A. 1975. The native orchids of the United States and Canada excluding Florida. The New York Botanical Garden, New York. National List of Scientific Plant Names. 1982. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Washington, D.C. Synder, D.B. and V.E. Vivian 1981. Rare and endangered vascular plant species in New Jersey. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. 4 THREATENED NEW JERSEY PLANT SPECIES IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE PROTECTION PRIORITY I SPECIES COMMON NAME HABITAT CODE .. Aeschynomene virginica (L .) Sensitive Joint-vetch PB/WL-b BSP.* Amaranthus pumilus Raf.