RARE WETLAND PLANTS AND THEIR HABITATS IN PENNSYLVANIA

Some of the rarest plants in Pennsylvania occur in wetlands. Of the 579 plant species of special concern, more than 50% (332) are considered to be wetland species based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wetland Plant List, Northeast Region (Reed 1988). The high percentage of wetland species may be due to: limited amount of wetland acreage, narrow habitat requirements for many of these species, and habitat destruction and alteration. Some of the rarest and most important species and their habitats in Pennsylvania are reviewed by physiographic region.