The vascular flora and vegetational communities of the wetland complex on the IMI property in Henry County, near Luray, Indiana.

ABSTRACT. An inventory of the vascular flora occurring in the IMI wetland complex near Luray, Indiana, reveals 287 species and varieties representing 180 genera in 79 families. The 12 families containing 58% of the species are Asteraceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Rosaceae, Apiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Polygonaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Liliaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Scrophulariaceae. Of the documented flora, 246 are native, 41 are adventives, and 20 represent Henry County records. Of the 287 species, 63 are woody, 162 are herbaceous forbs and vines, 55 are grasses and sedges, and 7 are ferns and their allies. The Floristic Quality Index for the native species is 61.9 and for all species, native plus exotics, is 57.3. The mean Coefficient of Conservatism for the native species is 3.9 and for all species, native plus exotics, is 3.4. These numbers suggest that the site is of nature preserve quality and that the site contains noteworthy remnants of the region's natural heritage. The numbers also suggest that the adventives are having a minimal negative impact on the native flora. The flora includes two rare species (Spiranthes lucida and Triglochin palustre) and four species on the watch list (Carex leptalea, Filipendula rubra, Hydrastis canadensis, and Selaginella apoda). Based on hydrology and topography, the major community types (dry border and field, sedge meadows, fens, mesic woodlands, dry woodlands, wet meadow, and creek and creek bank) are described.

Keywords: Henry County Indiana, fens, sedge meadows, county records-vascular plants, Floristic Quality Index (FQI), plant communities, flora-Indiana

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This study of the wetland complex on the IMI property near Luray, Indiana, was undertaken as part of our continuing effort to study the flora and floral communities of east-central Indiana. As defined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wetlands are "lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water.... Wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes: 1) at least periodically, the land supports predominantly hydrophytes; 2) the substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; and 3) the soil is saturated with or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of each year" (Cowardin et al. 1979). This study concentrated on the first parameter used to define wetlands, namely the presence of hydrophytes.

When investigating the flora and floral communities of a site that has not previously been studied, an inventory is the simplest means to document species diversity and to identify plants of special concern. It is also the necessary first step in developing any long-term resource management plan and is a fundamental step in monitoring changes that may occur in species composition over time (Magurran 1988). Given the severity of anthropogenic disturbance near the site, e.g., the quarry operations have bordered the entire western side of the wetland complex, a list of floral resources is necessary. As such, the goals of this study were to inventory the naturally-occurring vascular flora for the entire wetland complex, to visually estimate the distribution and relative abundance of each species, and to describe seasonal changes in vegetation based primarily on phenology. It should be noted that the current study is the initial step of a larger project examining the response of vegetation to chemical and hydrological gradients.

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THE STUDY AREA