Endangered plants found at NJCF's Franklin Parker Preserve

A two-year study of plant life at NJCF's Franklin Parker Preserve by Brooklyn Botanic Garden research scientists has identified 30 rare, endangered and threatened plant species. The findings include 12 species known only from historical records. The 9,400-acre Pine Barrens preserve was purchased by NJCF in 2003 in the largest private land conservation acquisition in state history and is now owned and managed jointly with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Among the rare plants found at the Franklin Parker Preserve are the bog asphodel flower (left) and the false asphodel flower. (Photo: hoganphoto.com)

NJCF asked Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) to research the plant life on the property because of its expected habitat significance and to help NJCF better manage the land. BBG proposed a comprehensive survey of the plants and vegetation in order to identify the populations of rare plants. Dating back to 1880, botanists had reported that the site contained numerous rare plant populations, but for the past century research was not possible because the land was privately owned and operated as a cranberry farm.

"We knew this was a special property," said Emile DeVito, Ph.D., NJCF Manager of Science and Stewardship. "But we had no idea how many critical species would still occur on the property after all these years. This research is important because it identifies all of these unique plants and makes recommendations for managing the property to protect them."

In a recent report, BBG scientists noted that approximately 465 species of plants have been found on the Franklin Parker Preserve, 30 or 6.5 percent of which are currently recognized as rare, threatened or endangered in New Jersey by either the Natural Heritage Program or the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.

"This percentage of rare plants is extremely high and is especially remarkable considering the high plant diversity in the preserve," said Kerry Barringer, Ph.D., Curator of the BBG's Herbarium. "For a botanist, this project is a tremendous opportunity to study an extraordinary ecosystem. The preserve is right in the middle of the Pine Barrens, which is recognized worldwide as being a unique place to study plants. It was extremely rewarding to help provide part of the data that NJCF will use to restore parts of the preserve where these species occurred."

Making Endangered Plants a Priority in New Jersey

There are many more endangered plant species in New Jersey than there are endangered animal species—roughly triple. However, there are few programs in place to protect endangered plants.

"Rare plants are simply not on the general public's radar screen," said DeVito. "If more people could experience the beauty of a Pine Barrens gentian or bog asphodel in bloom, there would be a lot more support for these disappearing species."

One species that formerly grew in the preserve, American chaffseed (Schwalbea americana), is listed as a federal endangered species; another, Long's bulrush (Scirpus longii), is a candidate for federal listing. One existing species, the bog asphodel (Narthecium americanum), is a candidate for federal listing. Seven species are state endangered. An additional nine species that grow in the preserve were included on the Natural Heritage list until recently. Of the 30 rare, endangered and threatened species, 18 have just been recorded. Twelve are known only from historical records, but BBG's botanists will spend the next year diligently searching for these species.