Nunatak Flora of the Juneau Ice Field, Alaska
Heusser CJ. 1954. Nunatak Flora of the Juneau Ice Field, Alaska. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 81(3):236-250
1. The nunatak flora of the Juneau Ice Field is composed of 173 species, subspecies, varieties, and forms. There are 42 lichens, 29 bryophytes, and 102 vascular plants. Nunataks are situated in the 700 square mile ice field which is located along the Coast Range northwest of Taku River Valley. Collections were made between 3500 and 6900 feet in elevation. 2. The flora developed largely during the thermal maximum. There is no conclusive evidence which would indicate the existence of unglaciated areas in which plants persisted during Mankato glaciation. If ice did not reach higher than between 5600 and 6000 feet in the central ice field, as has been suggested, only approximately 18 species of vascular plants would have survived. This figure is reached on the basis of collections made between these elevations.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Heusser, Calvin
- Units
- GLBA , KLGO
- Keywords
- Glaciology, Inventory and Monitoring (I&M), Lichens, Plant Communities, Plant Studies