Endangered Plants plant species listed

or proposed as
endangered or
threatened by the
federal government
Background under the
Endangered Species
The native flora of New Jersey is an important component of its biological diversity.
Act of 1973, any
This diversity is diminished as species, populations and habitats are lost from the
additional species
state. Seventeen percent of New Jersey’s native flora, which comprises more than
known or believed
2,100 species, is currently classified as endangered. In New Jersey, an endangered
to be rare
plant species is one whose survival within the State or nation is in jeopardy.
throughout its
worldwide range,
New Jersey has a surprisingly high concentration of native plant and animal species
and any species
relative to other states. Its native flora has representatives of more than 50% of
having five or fewer
the plant species found in the Northeast from Pennsylvania to Maine, despite the
extant populations Boltonia montana (Appalachian mountain boltonia)
fact that it contains a mere 5% of the total land area of the region. Similarly,
within the state at Swartswood State Park.
although it amounts to less than 0.26% of the total land area in the United States, Photograph by Kathleen Strakosch Walz
(N.J.A.C. 7:5C-1.1 et
and is the fourth smallest state in the nation, approximately 13% of the plant
seq.). An extant
species in the US can be found in New Jersey.
population (also referred to as an occurrence) is one that still exists in the natural
environment. Those species that are no longer found in a certain geographic area,
In large part, this high diversity is due to the variety of habitats and landscapes.
but which are not globally extinct, are referred to as extirpated. The primary
New Jersey is comprised of five physiographic regions: the Outer Coastal Plain, the
source of information regarding such species in New Jersey is the Department’s
Inner Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, the Highlands and the Ridge and Valley. These
Natural Heritage or Biotics Database, which contains information on the taxonomy,
regions have distinct combinations of geologic, topographical and hydrologic
rarity, threats, protection, location and population data for all endangered plant
features, which give rise to a wide range of environmental conditions and a
species, plant species of concern, and extirpated plant species in New Jersey.
tremendous botanical diversity.

The habitats and conditions that foster this diversity are the result of natural Status and Trends
processes that have been taking place for millions of years. For this reason, the At the time of this writing (December 2016), 818 rare plant species were tracked in
current distribution of many species is closely tied to the geological history of the the Natural Heritage Database, or 39% of the state’s flora. The Endangered Plant
region. The ranges of their geographic limit in the state. Species such as the Species List (List), last amended in 2013, categorized 356 of the state’s 2100
snowy orchid (Platanthera nivea) and seabeach evening primrose (Oenothera vascular and non-vascular plants, or 17%, as state endangered. The 2013
humifusa), are more typical of the southern flora, but reach as far north as Cape amendments added 37 endangered plants to the List; 20 plant species were
May and Ocean counties. Similarly, the ranges of northern species such as removed. These additions to and deletions from the List serve to illustrate some
northern yellow-eyed grass (Xyris montana) have been found to extend as far observed trends in plant species rarity statewide.
south as the northern reaches of the state. These species are often less abundant
in New Jersey than in the more central portions of their respective ranges, but
many have unique morphological or genetic characteristics due to their long-
standing exposure to the unique set of environmental conditions present here. Endangered Plants
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Environmental Trends Report
Endangered plants are defined as native New Jersey plant species or subspecies NJDEP, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health
whose survival in the state or nation is in jeopardy, including but not limited to http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/trends/
 Examples include American chaffseed
(Schwalbea americana), once known
from 18 NJ locations and now
restricted to a single extant population
precariously located on a roadside in
Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, Climate change is also having an effect on New Jersey’s endangered flora. A 2013
Burlington County. This is also the only analysis of 70 endangered plant species in two distinct regions of the State—the
known population north of the Skylands and the Pinelands—determined that 50 of these species were extremely
Carolinas, and all that remains of the vulnerable (1 species), highly vulnerable (8 species), or moderately vulnerable (41
species’ northern genotype, which species) to climate alteration.1 The vulnerability classifications were based on the
formerly extended to Massachusetts. projected exposure of each species to the impacts of climate change, as well as
Road widening and reduction in each species’ sensitivity to changes in climate. For example, the current range of
periodic burning are responsible for some species overlaps entirely with areas that are anticipated to experience large
the loss of some populations of this changes in temperatures and amounts of precipitation. Other species are likely to
federally endangered species. be especially sensitive because of their biological requirements. Such species may
Hammond’s yellow spring beauty depend on specific habitats that are limited in distribution, making it difficult for
(Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae) the species to disperse beyond its current range. The overall vulnerability ratings
is known worldwide from a single for each species were developed by combining the climate exposure and species
acidic freshwater seepage swamp in sensitivity rankings.
Sussex County. By contrast, bog
asphodel (Narthecium americanum), There are a number of other factors that affect plant populations in New Jersey.
while also endemic to NJ, has 56 Changes in the fire regime, flooding patterns or depth of the water table can have
populations. Many of these profound effects on populations. Once the pattern of flooding or fire is altered,
populations are found in the core of especially in places such as the Pinelands, the conditions limiting the growth of
Narthecium americanum (bog asphodel) in bloom. the NJ Pinelands where the species may
woody species are severely affected. As a result, there is often a loss of
Photograph by David Snyder be locally abundant in its globally rare populations for those rare plant species that thrive in open habitats. For
streamside savanna wetland habitat. instance, some species, such as the American chaffseed, are found only in open
habitats and depend on fires to suppress the growth of trees and shrubs that
Habitat loss is widely acknowledged to be the leading cause of species extinction would otherwise come to dominate the sites where it occurs.
and endangerment both in the nation and worldwide. Following these national and
global trends, habitat loss and destruction caused by development and It is also important to consider that many of New Jersey’s rare plant species were
urbanization have been the major threats to endangered plant populations in New never common or abundant. This is supported by the historical collection records
Jersey. The proliferation of invasive nonindigenous plant species is also having a obtained from examining herbarium specimens, some dating back 200 years or
significant, and perhaps an irreversible, impact on rare plant populations, and this more. Some species occupy habitats or ecological communities that are
threat continues to increase in each succeeding year. New Jersey has been themselves rare or unique. Other species occupy specialized niches, or are
affected to an even greater degree than is typically found elsewhere, which is likely tolerant of extreme conditions or periodic disturbance, such as exposed cliff faces,
due to a longer history and greater intensity of development activities in the state rock outcrops or dynamic coastal sand dunes. For this reason, the Department’s
in comparison to other states, and a much higher human population density. Natural Heritage Program focuses its resources on monitoring and, if possible,
managing rare plant occurrences with the goal of maintaining viable populations
in their native habitats, especially those found on state-owned lands and waters.
Endangered Plants
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Environmental Trends Report In 2013, three species were added to the List that are considered by the
NJDEP, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health Department to be globally rare. Globally rare species are defined as those found
http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/trends/
 extant in New Jersey. For example, Prunus alleghaniensis (Allegheny plum) was
first documented from a single population in Hunterdon County in 1965 and was
last observed at that location in 1981. This population was repeatedly and
unsuccessfully searched for by the Natural Heritage Program botanist from 1994
through 2007. In 2007 the location of the documented population was confirmed
at 80 or fewer locations worldwide. These three species included Appalachian destroyed by clearing and ornamental planting of a wooded thicket in the area
mountain boltonia (Boltonia montana), Pine Barren spike-rush (Eleocharis olivacea where the trees had formerly grown. The other nine species that are no longer
var. reductiseta) and New Jersey dewberry (Rubus novocaesarius). Appalachian thought to occur in New Jersey are: Aster firmus; Eleocharis minima; Filipendula
mountain boltonia occurs at fewer than 20 documented locations in Sussex and rubra; Glaux maritima; Goodyera tesselata; Juncus elliottii; Lathyrus venosus;
Warren counties in New Jersey and is only extant elsewhere in Virginia, where it is Sphagnum austinii and Sphagnum platyphyllum.
known from fewer than seven documented extant occurrences. The worldwide
distribution of Pine Barren spike-rush is restricted to freshwater intertidal rivers The Endangered Plant Species Population by Category figure shows the status of
within southern New Jersey, with 15 documented records in the Natural Heritage plant populations in NJDEP’s Natural Heritage Database. Among the 356 state
Database, of which only three are currently confirmed to be extant. The endangered plant species, 1,079 populations were verified as extant. A total of
worldwide distribution of New Jersey dewberry is restricted to a single occurrence 407 populations were reported to have been extirpated. Forty-seven percent of
in Cape May County. Both New Jersey dewberry and Pine Barren spike-rush are the occurrences (representing 1,317 populations) of state endangered plant
endemic to New Jersey and found nowhere else in the world. species are only known historically (Figure 1). Although suitable habitat is believed
to be present, these historical occurrences have not been observed recently.
The remaining 34 species added to the List in 2013 are known from five or fewer
extant populations (as documented in the Natural Heritage Database). Some of
these species are known, and have historically been known, from only a single
confirmed extant population statewide. These include: Arabis missouriensis; Carex
woodii; Limnobium spongia; Phacelia bipinnatifida; Polygala curtissii; Quercus
macrocarpa var. macrocarpa and Rubus novocaesarius. For example, P.
bipinnatifida (fern-leaf phacelia) was discovered at a single site within Whittingham
Wildlife Management Area, Sussex County, in 2008. This species had never before
been documented as occurring in New Jersey, and this isolated occurrence in
northwestern New Jersey is more than 300 miles northeast of the nearest
documented populations in Virginia and West Virginia.

Of the 20 species removed from the List in 2013, three were removed because
information gained through recent studies, taxonomical revisions or evaluations
have resulted in reduced taxonomic rank or uncertain taxonomic standing for
these species in New Jersey, or because their presence in New Jersey has been
determined to be based on misidentified herbarium specimens. Seven species
were deleted because they are now more frequent or abundant than they were at
the time of the last revision of the List in 1999. The seven species now known from
more than five extant populations in New Jersey are: Carex albursina; Galium
Figure 1: Extant, historic and extirpated endangered plant species populations in the Natural
trifidum; Oenothera humifusa; Potamogeton robbinsii; Prunus angustifolia; Heritage Database.
Rhododendron atlanticum and Sisyrinchium montanum.
Endangered Plants
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Another 10 species were removed from the List because all documented Environmental Trends Report
occurrences for the species have been extirpated and the species is no longer NJDEP, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health
http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/trends/
Seventy-two percent of the species that have been verified as extant are represented
by three or fewer extant populations. This is extremely significant because the risk of
extirpation tends to increase for those species with smaller population size and
number of populations. Forty percent of state endangered plant species have at
least one verified extant population located entirely or partially on state land.
However, 60% of state endangered plant species have no verified extant populations Habitat destruction and degradation has been, and continues to be, the greatest
on state lands (Figure 2). threat to endangered plant species in New Jersey, the nation and worldwide. The
protection, monitoring, and management of the habitats where these populations
occur is widely recognized as the best, and oftentimes the only, way of ensuring the
survival of endangered plant species. The preservation of open space is extremely
important for the protection of endangered species. Although 40% of endangered
plant species have at least one verified population located on state-protected land,
60% do not. While high priority habitat for concentrations of endangered species
should be protected, it is important to ensure that representative populations of
each endangered species throughout the state are preserved. It is also important
to continue to monitor the occurrence and distribution of both state endangered
and rare plant species in order to ensure that protective measures can be
implemented before a species disappears entirely from the state.

Furthermore, attention must be given not merely to particular areas where plant
populations occur, but to adjacent buffers and other sites as well, if both the
habitats and the associated ecological systems that maintain them are to be
adequately protected. The amount of land actually occupied by a particular
population may be very small, whereas the ecological processes that they depend
upon, such as pollination and dispersal, often extend well beyond these boundaries.
Consequently, changes in the forest structure, water table, or other aspects in
Figure 2: Endangered Plant Species on State Lands
surrounding areas may be detrimental to these populations as well. Likewise,
regional and local land-use plans are a critical component in protecting sensitive
Outlook and Implications populations. To that end, plant occurrence information is factored into the NJDEP’s
planning process through rules, including the Water Quality Management Planning
Our natural heritage is diminished whenever elements of biological diversity are lost
rules at N.J.A.C. 7:15.2
from the state, regardless of whether it is in the form of an entire species, the
individual populations of which they are comprised, or the habitats, communities and
ecosystems of which they are a part. This diversity provides us with a wealth of While the protection of habitats is necessary for the survival of these species, this
economic, aesthetic, cultural, and other values and services, and represents a may not be sufficient unless the land is managed in a suitable manner. Significant
tangible connection to our past and to the greater community of life that we are not natural and man-made changes may occur even after the locations have been
only a part of, but are utterly dependent upon. protected. Site-specific monitoring information, such as threats from changes in
hydrology, climate, invasive species or herbivory, along with an understanding of
the biology of each species, is therefore of great importance for the long-term
Endangered Plants survival of many of these populations. For instance, while monitoring known
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NJDEP, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health
http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/trends/
occurrences of rare plant species, the Heritage Program also notes the presence and
likely threat of any invasive plant species. This chapter provides a baseline assessment
of the status of endangered plants in New Jersey. More research and resources are
needed in order to track the populations of these species and develop the appropriate
management strategies to ensure that these species continue to be part of the state’s
biological heritage.

More Information
http://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer
https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/44204/

References
1
Ring, Richard M. and E. A. Spencer. 2013. Vulnerability of 70 Plant Species of
Greatest Conservation Need to Climate Change in New Jersey. New Jersey Natural
Heritage Program, NJ Department of Environmental Protection. Trenton, NJ. 38
pages. Available online at https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/44204/.
2
Please see http://www.nj.gov/dep/wrm/wqmprule.html.

Phacelia bipinnatifida (fern-leaf scorpion-flower).

Endangered Plants
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NJDEP, Division of Science, Research, and Environmental Health
http://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/trends/