203 
Appendix A 
Provisional Checklist to the Vaseular, 
Bryophyte, and Lichen Flora 
of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska 
BARBARA M. MURRAY and DAVID F. MURRAY 
University of Alaska Herbarium 
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 
Introduction 
Prudhoe Bay is situated on the Arctic Coast- 
al Plain, a distinct physiographic unit that ex- 
tends from Point Lay east across northern Alas- 
ka to the Mackenzie Delta in Canada. The flora 
is characteristic of a wet lowland that is inter- 
rupted chiefly by thaw lakes, drained lake 
basins, and river systems. The differences be- 
tween the Prudhoe flora and that of Barrow and 
environs can be attributed to the physical fea- 
tures associated with the large rivers that head in 
the Brooks Range, numerous pingos, and dis- 
tinctly calcareous soils. The areas collected were 
adjacent to the road system that links drilling 
pads and related facilities between the Sagav- 
anirktok and Kuparuk rivers. We and others 
were able to visit and examine gravel bars, 
riverbanks, sand dunes, pingos, thaw lakes, 
drained lake basins, saline marshes, and _ ice- 
wedge polygons. Thus, a full spectrum of 
habitats was included in the inventory. 
Floristic studies of the Prudhoe Bay area are 
still in the exploratory stage, and the following 
list is provisional. The first plant collections 
resulted from Tundra Biome studies; since 1971 
Tundra Biome participants and cooperators have 
been expanding our knowledge of the flora of 
the area through collections (Table 1) and 
reports. The only published list for the area is 
that of Rastorfer, Webster, and Smith (1973) 
who reported their own 1972 bryophyte collec- 
tions. In a few cases they listed species without 
citing specimens, and according to J. R. 
Rastorfer jn /itt., 1974, no vouchers were kept 
for these taxa. In the following list we have 
placed these undocumented reports in brackets, 
if we were unable to find a specimen to substan- 
tiate the occurrence of the species at Prudhoe 
Bay. 
Table 1 
Collectors of vascular plants (V), 
bryophytes (B), and lichens (L) 
M. W. Battrum (1971) B, L 
J. W. Batty (1973, 1974) V, B,L 
J. Hok (1971) V 
B. M. Murray (1971, 1972, 1974) B, L 
D. F. Murray (1971, 1972, 1974) V 
J. R. Rastorfer, H. J. Webster, and D. K. Smith (1972) B 
D.H.S. Richardson (1974) L 
E. Schofield (1972) V, L 
W. C. Steere (1972); W. C. Steere and Z. Iwatsuki (1974) B 
D. A. Walker (1973, 1974) V, B, L 
H. J. Webster (1971) B 
M. E. Williams (1972) V, L 
