Kenai Fjords National Park vascular plant inventory final technical report

Carlson, Matthew; Lipkin, Robert; Sturdy, Michelle; Michaelson, Julie

In 2003 the Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP) conducted vascular plant field inventories in Kenai Fjords National Park in accordance with a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service. The primary goal was to document greater than 90% of the vascular plant species expected to occur within the Park and significantly improve our understanding of current species distributions. The inventory targeted diverse habitat types and poorly-sampled areas. The AKNHP staff visited the primary ecogeographic regions and sampled intensively within these regions from early July to early August, 2003. A total of 561 specimens were collected, recorded, and pressed. Duplicate or triplicate sheets are present for many of the specimens. Three hundred twelve (312) unique taxa are represented, and 201 are new records for the Park. Prior to 2003, 217 taxa were known from an estimated expected total of 543. Thus, ca. 40% of the expected taxa were previously known. After the 2003 field season, the number of known taxa nearly doubled to 418.This represents 77% of vascular plant taxa expected in the Park. A number of finds were significant range extensions or taxa of conservation concern. Collections were made of four globally or regionally rare species: a rare scurvy grass, Cochlearia cf. sessilifolia (G1Q-S1); a rare bog orchid, Platanthera chorisiana (G3-S3); a rare poppy, Papaver alboroseum (G3G4-S3);and two rare sedges, Carex phaeocephala (G4-S1S2), and Carex lenticularis var. dolia (G5T3Q-S3). Twelve minor range extensions were found, representing new records for the Kenai Peninsula. Cerastium fontanum (mouse-ear chickweed) and Poa annua (annual blue grass) were the only introduced plants collected in the Park.