RARE, ENDANGERED AND ENDEMIC PLANTS OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY REGION 



No list of rare, endangered or endemic plants exists 

 for the Chesapeake Bay Region or for the States of Maryland, 

 Virginia, or Delaware. A list was prepared by reviewing all of 

 the botanical books and manuals of the region, contacting local 

 and other botanists, and checking herbarium specimens in the 

 National Museum of Natural History, the Gray Herbarium at Harvard, 

 and the Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden. Specimen 

 records were verified and exact locality data were obtained. 



Only native species of higher plants were included and 

 rare introduced or adventive species were not considered. The 

 rarity or endangered status was determined on the basis of rarity 

 as a species, not with regard to local rarity in the region or 

 State involved. There were 23 local or endemic species and valid 

 varieties found in the region. Many of these species are known 

 as endemic in only one or a few localities and no where else in 

 the world. Several of the species are possibly extinct at present 

 since they have not been collected for many years and have not 

 been reported. Some of the species have wide distributions but 

 are being rapidly depleted and may be endangered in the near 

 future. No field studies were conducted to determine whether 

 the species presently exist, but all recent information was 

 utilized in determining rarity status. 



The data for each species are presented together with 

 distribution maps showing the species distribution, and the de- 

 tailed distribution in the Bay Region. It is hoped that this 

 will stimulate study of rare and endangered flora and will help 

 in preservation. 



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