Virginia: An Account of Schoenoplectus mucronatus (L.) Palla in Virginia with Comments on Species Introductions in Wetland Mitigation Sites

Abstract

Schoenoplectus mucronatus (L.) Palla (CYPERACEAE)—King William County: Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (TNC) wetland restoration site, approximately 8 km west of Aylett on West River Road (Route 600). Approximately 50 plants were found growing in a seasonally ponded area along the southeast perimeter of the site among the following mixture of species: Persicaria maculosa Gray, Andropogon virginicus L., Rumex crispus L., Eleocharis palustris (L.) Roem. & Schult., Portulaca oleracea L., Digitaria ischaemum (Schreb.) Schreb. ex Muhl., and Bidens aristosa (Michx.) Britton, 14 July 2009, N. McGoff and N. Zinn. Voucher specimen deposited at the Massey Herbarium at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia (VPI 105248). Significance. This is the first account of bog bulrush [Schoenoplectus mucronatus (L.) Palla] in Virginia and, to the best of our knowledge, the first record of this species within the South Atlantic states (Smith 2002, Virginia Botanical Associates 2009, United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service [USDA-NRCS] 2009). Bog bulrush is native to Africa and Eurasia and is listed as a problematic weed in 43 countries, presumably owing to its prolific colonization of rice fields and resistance to herbicide treatment (Smith 2002, Washington Noxious Weed Control Board 2010). The distribution of this species in the United States is localized in a few Pacific, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic/ Northeast states (USDA-NRCS 2009, Biota of North America Program 2010), likely following points of introduction from importation of biogenic goods. Populations represented by early records of this species from New Brunswick and New Jersey (prior to 1900) have presumably been extirpated; records from other Atlantic states (e.g., Pennsylvania, New York) are of doubtful persistence (Smith 2002). This finding represents one more in a series of species introductions observed in association with wetland mitigation in Virginia (Perry et al. 1998, DeBerry 2006, DeBerry and Perry 2007). In the case of created or restored wetlands, ‘‘introduction’’ may be viewed in an additional context beyond the ostensible native or non-native status of a species. What has come of interest to researchers and wetland managers is the mode of introduction, i.e., whether such species are ‘‘getting in’’ via natural dispersal vectors, or by anthropogenic means related to the construction and/or planting of the site. This question was first raised by Perry et al. (1998) for similar records in Virginia mitigation sites, but the topic has been covered extensively in other areas of the country (see review in Spieles 2005). From research on seed dispersal and seedbank dynamics in wetlands, it is clear that species such as bog bulrush are capable of colonizing wetland mitigation sites via natural dispersal vectors such as migra*email address: ddeberry@vhb.com Received March 8, 2010; Accepted April 26, 2010. CASTANEA 75(4): 503–505. DECEMBER 2010