Recovery of Native Plant Communities after Mining

Author: Karen D. Holl, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, University of California; Carl E. Zipper, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences; and James A. Burger, Professor of Forestry, Virginia Tech

Publication Number 460-140, April 2001

Table 1 . Species observed on reclaimed and forest sites.

			- - - - YEAR RECLAIMED - - - -				Native
Latin Name	Common Name	Type1	1987-91	1980-87	1972-77	1967-72	Hardwood
HERBACEOUS
Achillea millefolium	yarrow	N	x		x
Adiantum pedatum	maidenhair fern	N				x
Agrostis alba	redtop	P	x	x	x
Agrimonia gryposepala	agrimony	N					x
Alliaria petiolata	garlic mustard	E				x
Ambrosia artesimifolia	ragweed	E			x
Arisaema triphyllum	Jack in the pulpit	N				x
Asclepias syriaca	common milkweed	N					x
Asplenium platyneuron	ebony spleenwort	N	x		x	x
Aster divaricatus	heart-leaved aster	N		x	x	x	x
Aster lateriflorus	britton	N			x	x
Aster pilosus	frost aster	N	x	x	x	x
Atherium asplenoides	southern lady fern	N					x
Aureolaria laevigata	smooth false foxglove	N					x
Boehmeria cylindrica	false nettle	N			x
Botrychium virginianum	rattlesnake fern	N				x	x
Brachyelytrum erechtum		N					x
Bromus japonicus	brome grass	E		x	x
Campanula divaricata	southern harebell	N			x	x	x
Cardamine hirsuta2	bitter cress	E		x	x	x
Carex purpurifera		N					x
Carex virescens		N			x	x
Caulophyllum thalictroides	blue cohosh	N					x
Chimaphila maculata	spotted wintergreen	N		x
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum	ox-eye daisy	E	x	x
Circaea lutetiana	enchanter's nightshade	N				x	x
Clematis virginiana	virgin's bower	N	x	x	x	x	x
Convolvulus arvensis	bindweed	E	x	x	x	x
Coronilla varia	crown vetch	P	x			x
Dactylis glomerata	orchard grass	P	x	x	x
Daucus carota	Queen Anne's lace	E	x	x
Dennstaedtia punctilobula	hay-scented fern	N				x	x
Desmodium nudiflorum	beggar's tick	N				x	x
Dianthus armeria	Deptford pink	E			x
Dioscorea villosa	wild yam	N		x			x
Disporum lanuginosum	yellow mandarin	N					x
Dryopteris marginalis	marginal woodfern	N			x
Epilobium coloratum		N	x		x
Epigaea repens	trailing arbutus	N					x
Erechtites hieracifolia	fireweed	N		x	x
Erigeron annuus	daisy fleabane	N		x
Erigeron canadensis	horseweed	N	x	x	x
Erigeron philadelphicus	common fleabane	N		x	x
Eupatorium maculatum	spotted Joe-Pye weed	N	x	x	x	x
Eupatorium purpureum	sweet Joe-Pye weed	N			x	x	x
Eupatorium rugosum	white snakeroot	N	x	x	x	x	x
Festuca arundinacea	Kentucky 31 fescue	P	x	x	x	x
Festuca obtusa	fescue	N			x
Fragaria virginiana	wild strawberry	N		x		x
Galax aphylla	galax	N				x	x
Galium aparine2	bedstraw	N		x	x	x
Galium circaezans	bedstraw	N					x
Galium triflorum	bedstraw	N				x	x
Gaultheria procumbens	wintergreen	N					x
Geranium maculatum	wild geranium	N				x	x
Geum canadense	avens	N			x	x	x
Gnaphalium obtusifolium	rabbit tobacco	N			x
Goodyera repens	dwarf rattlesnake plantain	N					x
Helianthus microcephalus	sunflower	N		x	x	x	x
Hieracium paniculatum	hawkweed	N		x			x
Hieracium pratense	king devil	N	x	x	x
Hieracium scabrum	hawkweed	N	x
Hypericum punctatum	St. John's wort	N				x
Hystrix patula	bottlebrush grass	N			x
Impatiens capensis	spotted touch-me-not	N			x
Impatiens pallida	touch-me-not	N			x	x
Juncus tenuis	path rush	N		x
Lactuca biennis	tall blue lettuce	N		x
Lactuca canadensis	wild lettuce	N		x	x	x
Lactuca scariola	prickly lettuce	E	x	x	x	x
Lespedeza cuneata	sericea lespedeza	P	x	x	x	x
Lobelia spicata	spiked lobelia	N		x		x
Lotus corniculatus	birdsfoot trefoil	P	x
Lycopodium flabelliforme	running-pine			x
Lysimachia quadrifolia	whorled loosestrife	N		x		x	x
Medicago sativa	alfalfa	P	x
Melilotus spp.	sweet clover	P	x
Monarda clinopodia	basal balm	N				x
Muhlenbergia tenuiflora	muhly	N				x	x
Oenothera biennis	evening primrose	N	x	x	x	x
Oxalis stricta	wood sorrel	N		x			x
Panicum spp.	panic grass	N	x	x	x	x	x
Parthenocissus quinquefolia	virginia creeper	N	x	x	x	x	x
Phleum pratense	Timothy	P	x
Phytolacca americana	pokeweed	N	x	x	x	x
Poa alsodes	blue grass	N				x
Poa pratensis	blue grass	P	x
Polygonum cespitosum	knotweed	E			x	x
Polystichum acrostichoides	Christmas fern	N	x	x	x	x	x
Potentilla simplex	cinquefoil	N	x	x	x	x	x
Ranunculus spp.	buttercup	N				x	x
Rumex acetosella	sheep sorrel	E		x	x
Rumex crispus	curly dock	E			x
Rumex obtusifolius	bitter dock	E			x	x
Sanicula canadensis	snakeroot	N				x	x
Senecio aureus	golden groundsel	N		x	x	x
Setaria faberi	foxtail grass	E			x
Smilacina racemosa	false solomon's-seal	N		x	x	x	x
Smilax rotundifolia	greenbrier	N		x	x	x	x
Solanum americanum	nightshade	N		x	x
Solidago curtissii	goldenrod	N		x	x	x	x
Solidago flexicaulus	goldenrod	N	x	x	x	x	x
Solidago gigantea	goldenrod	N	x	x	x	x
Solidago nemoralis	goldenrod	N	x	x	x
Solidago rugosa	goldenrod	N	x	x	x
Taenidia integerrima	golden alexander	N					x
Taraxacum officinale	dandelion	E	x	x	x
Thaspium barbinode	meadow parsnip	N				x	x
Thalictrum dioicum	meadow rue	N				x	x
Thelypteris hexagonoptera	broad-beech fern	N					x
Toxicodendron radicans	poison ivy	N			x	x	x
Trillium grandiflorum	trilium	N					x
Trifolium pratense	red clover	P	x	x
Trifolium repens	white clover	P	x	x
Tussilago farfara	colt's foot	E	x	x
Urtica gracilis	stinging nettle	N			x
Uvularia perfoliata	bellwort	N					x
Uvularia pudica	bellwort	N					x
Veronica serpyllifolia	speedwell	E			x
Viola blanda	sweet white violet	N		x		x
Viola canadensis	Canada violet	N				x
Viola eriocarpa	violet	N					x
Viola hastata	Halberd-leaf violet	N			x	x	x
Viola septemloba	violet	N	x	x	x	x	x
Viola spp.2	violet	N		x	x	x	x
SHRUBS AND TREES
Acer negundo	maple	N				x
Acer pennsylvanicum	striped maple	N			x	x	x
Acer rubrum	red maple	N	x	x	x	x	x
Acer saccharum	sugar maple	N					x
Aesculus octandra	buckeye	N					x
Amelanchier arborea	serviceberry	N					x
Betula lenta	sweet birch	N	x	x	x	x	x
Buddleja davidii	butterfly bush	E			x
Carya spp.	hickory	N			x	x	x
Castanea dentata	chestnut	N					x
Cercis canadensis	redbud				x
Cornus florida	dogwood	N		x	x	x	x
Elaeagnus umbellata	silverberry	N	x	x	x
Fagus grandifolia	beech	N		x			x
Hydrangea arborescens		N			x	x	x
Juglans nigra	black walnut	N					x
Kalmia latifolia	mountain laurel	N		x			x
Lespedeza bicolor	bicolor lespedeza	N	x	x	x
Liriodendron tulipifera	tulip poplar	N	x	x	x	x	x
Magnolia acuminata	cucumber tree	N		x	x	x	x
Magnolia fraseri	umbrella tree	N				x	x
Nyssa sylvatica	black gum	N			x	x	x
Oxydendron arboreum	sourwood	N	x	x	x	x	x
Pinus strobus	eastern white pine	P	x	x	x
Prunus serotina	wild cherry	N	x	x	x	x	x
Pyrularia pubera	buffalo nut	N					x
Quercus alba	white oak	N		x	x	x	x
Quercus prinus	chestnut oak	N					x
Quercus rubra	red oak	N	x	x	x	x	x
Rhododendron catawbiense	mountain rosebay	N					x
Rhododendron maximum	rosebay	N		x			x
Rhus glabra	sumac	N		x	x	x	x
Robinia hispida	hairy locust	P	x	x
Robinia pseudoacacia	black locust	P	x	x	x	x	x
Rosa multiflora	multifloral rose	E		x	x	x
Rubus allegheniensis	blackberry	N	x	x	x	x	x
Rubus occidentalis	black-cap	N	x	x	x	x
Salix spp.	willow	N			x	x
Sambucus canadensis	elderberry	N		x
Sassafras albidum	sasafras	N	x	x	x	x	x
Tilia americana	basswood	N		x		x	x
Tsuga canadensis	hemlock	N				x	x
Ulmus americana	white elm	N			x	x	x
Vaccinium arboreum	sparkleberry	N					x
Viburnum acerifolium	maple-leaf viburnum	N					x
Vitis aestivalis	wild grape	N		x	x	x	x

Note 1: N = native, E = exotic, P = planted.

Note 2 - In 1992/3 plants were surveyed in May and August. In 1999 plants were surveyed only in August. By August Cardamine hirsuta and Galium aparine had died and it was impossible to identify individual species of Viola

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