The Vascular Flora of the Red Hills Forever Wild Tract, Monroe County, Alabama

Abstract

The Red Hills Forever Wild Tract (RHFWT) is a 1785 ha property that was acquired in two purchases by the State of Alabama Forever Wild Program in February and September 2010. The RHFWT is characterized by undulating terrain with steep slopes, loblolly pine plantations, and mixed hardwood floodplain forests. The property lies 125 km southwest of Montgomery, AL and is managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with an emphasis on recreational use and habitat management. An intensive floristic study of this area was conducted from January 2011 through June 2015. A total of 533 taxa (527 species) from 323 genera and 120 families were collected with 148 taxa being county records. Asteraceae was the most collected family with 71 species. Poaceae and Fabaceae were the next largest families with 48 and 45 species, respectively. Quercus was the largest genus, represented by 12 species and one named hybrid. Fifty-nine non-native species were collected during the surveys. Plant collections were deposited at the Alabama Natural Heritage Section Herbarium (ALNHS), with duplicates deposited at the Anniston Museum of Natural History Herbarium (AMAL), Jacksonville State University (JSU), and Auburn University Herbarium (AUA).