Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Plants

Townsend, John

The first section included in this report consists of three lists: Rare Vascular Plants, Rare Nonvascular Plants, and Rare Lichens. The nonvascular (liverworts and mosses) and lichens listed herein represent an attempt at designating imperiled species within these often-neglected groups. The lists are currently small compared to the vascular plant lists because the taxonomy and distributions of nonvascular plants are generally poorly known in Virginia at this time (with some exceptions). The second section is the Vascular Plant Watchlist. The watchlist contains information on the conservation and legal status of 230 additional vascular taxa that are decidedly uncommon in Virginia but are not scarce enough to merit inclusion on the Rare Vascular Plant List. Plants on this list are monitored to determine general population trends and potential threats. Some species included on the Plant Watchlist were formerly on the Rare Plant List but have been determined to be more common than previously believed. Other species on the Watchlist are declining and may warrant placement on the Rare Plant List in the future if their populations continue to decline. There is no watchlist for non-vascular plants or lichens at this time. The third section included in this report is the Review List (Taxa of Uncertain Status). These taxa lack numerical ranks, indicating that they are poorly known from a taxonomic and distributional standpoint. Although some of these taxa may prove to be conservation targets, more field and herbarium data are needed to assess their distinctiveness and degree of rarity in Virginia. There are 48 taxa in this category. Several appendices are provided to aid in summarizing or highlighting the status of certain species. Appendix 1 summarizes the taxa which are officially protected by federal or state endangered species acts (all are also included within the rare species lists). Federally listed species are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service administers the Act, listing and protecting federally endangered and threatened species. The Virginia Plant and Insect Species Program within the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has regulatory responsibility for the listing and protection of Virginia's endangered and threatened plants and insects under the Virginia Endangered Plant and Insect Species Act, as amended ( Section 3.1 -1020 through 1030, Code of Virginia ). The Act provides for the official listing and recovery of endangered and threatened plant and insect species in Virginia.

Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Plants

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