Proceedings of the Sixty-first Annual Meeting of the Northeastern ...

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native species, covering and smothering them. Eragrosits curvula has become well
established along sandy roadsides, especially at Cape Henlopen where it out
competes native species and forms nearly pure stands. Phragmites australis was
well established at wet sites, especially along the shores of Assawomen Bay.
University of Maryland scientists have identified 5 non-native varieties of
Phragmites. These are more aggressive than the single native North American
variety. Additional aggressive non-native species are Carex kobomugi, Elaeagnus
angustifolia, E. umbellata, and Lythrum salicaria.
Carex kobomugi is well established locally on coastal dunes, especially on
the ocean-facing primary dune where wind deposits salt on vegetation. When
conditions are favorable C. kobomugi forms nearly pure stands. Carex kobomugi
has been reported in the coastal dunes at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, by Stalter in
l975. In his l980 publication, Stalter presented historical invasion information of C.
kobomugi on the Untied States east coast. Carex kobomugi may have been present
at Island Beach State park, New Jersey in the l920's. It was reported at Virginia
Beach, Virginia in l949, and at the public beach at Norfolk in 1966. It was also
reported at Cedar Island, Virginia in l979 and at Fisherman Island, Virginia in the
l970's. Stalter and Lamont (unpublished) have observed C. kobomugi on the ocean -
facing side of the primary dunes at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False
Cape State Park in southeast Virginia in the l990's.
Elaeagnus spp., Russian Olive, generally occupies grassy fields. Elaeagnus
angustifolia is common at Cape Henlopen State Park.. Selective cutting followed by
the application of herbicide to cut stems should kill Elaeagnus and may prevent this
shrub from dominating fields at Delaware’s coastal parks.
Lythrum salicaria was present in small numbers at the moist interdunal
swales at Fenwick Island, State Park. Populations of L. salicaria should be treated
with herbicide and eradicated. If not treated, L. salicaria may become more
abundant at moist habitats in the future, and pose a threat to the native vascular
plant species that grow there.
LITERATURE CITED
1. Garwood, A. N. 1996. Weather America Milpitas, California 217-223.
2. Gleason, H. A. and A. Cronquist, 1991. Manual of Vascular plants of
Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden,
New York. 910 pp.
3. Bailey L. H., 1949. Manual of Cultivated Plants. Macmillan, New York. 1116 pp.
4. McAvoy, W.A. and K.A. Bennett. 2001. The Flora of Delaware. An annotated
checklist. Delaware Heritage Program, Smryna, Delaware. 265 pp.
5. Stalter, R. l980. Carex kobomugi Ohwi at Sand Hook, New Jersey. Bull. Torrey
Bot. Club 107:431-432.
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