M E M O R A N D U M

DATE: 10 June 1996

TO: Sam Droege

FROM: Stan Shetler

SUBJ: BioBlitz Plant List

Attached is an essentially complete list of the plants observed by my wife, Elaine, and me during the BioBlitz on June 1st. Another species or two may be added once I have finished checking out the last few specimens collected. The starred (*) species (ca. 30) do not appear on any of the prior lists provided to me and appear, therefore, to be new to the cumulative list. This means only that they were unlisted so far, not that they are rare or unusual. In fact, the contrary may be true in most cases: too common or obvious to rate collecting or listing before. Obviously, nonetheless, the cumulative list should include all species found at Kenilworth, no matter how common or weedy.

With the help of my assistant, I have also compiled a master, cumulative list of all the species on the individual lists that you provided to me at the BioBlitz. I will send you this union list as soon as all the editorial corrections have been made. The total is about 300 species, probably representing no more than two-thirds of all the native and naturalized species likely to be found ultimately in Kenilworth Park. The vouchered species are so marked on the list. Most of the species have been vouchered, according to the information I have, but I'm not sure where the vouchers of species recorded by others than Peggy Fleming and Raclare Kanal, which are here at the Museum, are kept--presumably at the Park.

Ultimately, all species on the list should be backed up by at least one voucher, preserved, preferably, in a permanently maintained repository. This should include not only the weeds but also the cultivated species that have become naturalized. For the sake of the Park's records and its visitors, the purely cultivated species should also be listed and vouchered, so that the Park has an absolutely complete list of its vascular flora. (I cannot speak for its nonvascular flora.) I did not collect many vouchers for the new species that I recorded at the BioBlitz, because it was not the time to do a lot of voucher collecting, and most were not in the proper phenological stage(s) for vouchering in any event.

There are always many problems in this kind of inventory. The ashes certainly need further study, to clarify the situation with respect to the pumpkin ash and whether or not white ash (Fraxinus americana) occurs at Kenilworth. Different collectors appear to be calling different things pumpkin ash. Other groups needing careful study are the blackberries (Rubus spp.), grapes (Vitis spp.), rushes (particularly, Juncus dichotomus vs. J. tenuis), and oaks (Quercus spp.). Some of the pairs of similar species on the present master list needing further study at Kenilworth: Alisma plantago-aquatica vs. A. subcordatum; Lactuca biennis vs. L. floridana; Prunus serotina vs. P. virginiana; Ulmus americana vs. U. rubra; and Viburnum dentatum vs. V. recognitum.

What should be regarded as purely cultivated vs. naturalized can be a troublesome problem. Identifying the cultivated species can also be a major task if planting records have not been kept meticulously over the years.

Because I'm working on the local flora, I'm obviously interested in what occurs there and hope to get back on occasion. I'll do what I can but cannot volunteer to complete the job that Peggy, Raclare, and others have so ably begun. If resident staff make collections, I'll try to be helpful in naming them, so long as the numbers are not overwhelming.

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