The Vascular Flora of Smith Island, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
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Abstract
Smith Island Maryland, a 1150 hectare island lies in the center of the Chesapeake Bay (37.97N, 76.02W). Brackish and salt marsh vegetation are dominant on Smith Island that rarely rises a meter above high tide. The objective of this study was to document the vascular flora of Smith Island. The vascular flora of Smith Island, Maryland, consists of 144 species within 121 genera and 57 families. The Poaceae (22 species) and Asteraceae 22 species) are the largest families in the flora. Cyperus (6 species) and Solidago and Trifolium, each with 3 species, are the largest genera in the flora. No species in the flora are rare or endangered in Maryland. Species of foreign origin, 59 species, are numerous in the flora and compose 41% of the natural vegetation. Each taxonomic entry in the checklist is accompanied by an annotation, which includes the locality and habitat in which each species occurs and frequency relative to the study area.
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