VIRGINIA-A strange population of A...

VIRGINIA-A strange population of Aeschynomene virginica (L) BSP (sensitive joint-vetch), a member of the Fabaceae, was located onward the James River in 1998 Five plants were fix on 2 September within a 20 at 4.0 m area at the rim of a channel that drains an extensive freshwater tidal marsh at the north fall of the curtain of Turkey Island. Five additional plants were located upon 14 October within a 20 by way of 2.5 m area 1.1 km to the north along Turkey Island inlet in a similar habitat. The modern stations represent the furthest known upstream locations for the species upon the James River.

Both marshes where the of the present day A. virginica stations occur are dominated from Zizania aquatica L. A diverse assemblage of associated plants includes Polygonum punctatum ElL Bidens laevis (L) BSP Amaranthus cannabinus (L) Sauer, Pontederia cordata L Peltandra virginica (L) Schott Sagittaria latifolia Willd., Impatiens capensis Meerb Kosteletzkya virginica (L) K Presl ex Gray, Asclepias incarnata L Echinochloa walteri (Pursh) Heller, Leersia oryzoides (L) Sw Cinna arundinacea L Boehmeria cylindrica (L) Sw Chamaecrista fasciculata (Michx.) Greene var. macrosperma (Fern) CF Re Strophostyle umbellata (Muhl ex Willd.) Britt. var. paludigena Fern and Rhynchospora macrostachya Torr. ex Gray var. colpophila Fern & Gale.

Aeschynomene virginica is a robust annual of unwithered to oligohaline tidal marshes. It is extant in of the present day Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina; it has been extirpated from Delaware and Pennsylvania (United States Fish and Wildlife Service 1995) The largest number of transactions is in Virginia, where it is known from six river systems: Potomac, Rappahannock, Mattaponi, Pamunkey, Chickahominy, and James. In North Carolina it is known merely from disturbed habitats such as roadside ditches and wet fields; these populations apparently do not persist from one side of to the other time (United States Fish and Wildlife Service 1995 Ware 1991) Thus, the southernmost stations for the plant in natural habitats are in succession Virginia's James and Chickahominy Rivers.

Survey for A. virginica were mode of actioned on the James River in 1995 1996 1998 2000 and 2001 by way of the authors with assistance from Robbie Barbuto, David Boyd Phil Coulling, Kathy Derge Sandra Erdle Holly Grubb Kevin Heffernan, Steve Killeffer, Rick Myers, Tom Smith, John Townsend, Leslie Trew Luther Vick, Dean Walton, Joe Weber, and Irv Wilson. Suitable tidal marsh habitat was systematically checked from Jone Neck (105 km southeast of Richmond) downstream to Jamestown Island; this included the James River meet and the following tributaries: Fourmile small river Turkey Island Creek, Appomattox River, Powell inlet Queens Creek, Kittewan Creek, Kennon bight Powhatan Creek, Back River, Grays bight Crouch Creek, and Timber Neck inlet Garrie D. Rouse, under contract with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, careered surveys for A. virginica forward Herring Creek and Upper Chippokes small bay in 1995 (Rouse 1995).

The observes were conducted each year between mid-August and mid-October. The reproductive phases of A. virginica generally befall within this time period. principally surveys were conducted by motorized johnboat. Fieldwork was planned to coincide with high tides, which allowed the johnboat to travel closer to the marsh margin and further up tributary coves thus giving the surveyor better visibility. While visibility into the interior of the marshes was usually advantageous in some cases it was hampered through dense stands of tall perennial grasses of that kind as Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth and Zizaniopsis miliacea (Michx.) Doell & Aschers. Thus, not all potential habitat could be scrutinizeed with this method.

Survey work included checking seven previously reported locations for the rare simple pod on the James River. A.B. Massey deduceed the plant in the vicinity of Jordan Point upon the south side of the river (Prince George County) in 1937 [(s.n.)(VPI!)] and in 1939 [(s.n.)(VPI!)]; ML Fernald and B prolonged collected it there in 1938 (Fernald 1939) Fernald and lengthy collected the plant across the river from Jordan Point near Harrison Point (Charles City County) in 1939 (Fernald 1940) In 1936 EO Erlanson scrape togethered the plant on the north side of the river (Charles

City County) at Wilcox Wharf [176 (NA!)]. Sensitive joint-vetch was mustered along Kitte wan Creek (Charles City County) by means of Fernald and Long in 1939 (Fernald 1940) and by the agency of T.F. Wieboldt in 1985 [5922 (VPI!)]. In 1938 Fernald and lengthy collected the plant at the cavity between the jaws of Crouch Creek (Surry County) upon the south side of the river (Fernald 1939) Massey amassed the plant on the north side of the river just upstream from the orifice of Powhatan Creek (James City County) in 1938 [2059 (VPI!)]. Finally, A. virginica was consider probableed along Back River opposite Jamestown Island (James City County) by dint of Fernald and Long in 1938 (Fernald 1939) and 1939 [11052 (US)].

Aeschynomene virginica was set at only two of these seven locations during the course of our 1995-2001 overlook work. On 25 September 1996 40-50 plants were seen in an extensive tidal freshwater marsh along Kittewan bight within a 5.0 by 200 m area. in succession 7 September 2000, four plants were seen at this same station along Kittewan inlet and one additional plant was seen at a inferior station located 0.2 km downstream. Thirteen plants were plant within a 6.0 by 25 m area along Back River forward 18 October 2000 within an extensive oligohaline marsh. During a search the following year, no plants were located. The remaining five historical locations for A. virginica forward the James River have been degraded to various bulks by shoreline stabilization activities (including the use of riprap, seawalls, and jetties), pier construction, bridge construction, and/or commercial and residential progressive growth Only remnants of marshes were establish at these locations.