Flora of Candler's Mountain: Documenting Natural Communities and Establishing an Herbarium

Herbaria are natural history collections containing dried plant material and function as the working tool of taxonomists to support understanding plant identification, nomenclature, classification, distribution, ecology, and further consideration of the societal implications of plants. The focus of this study is twofold: (1) the documentation of local flora and (2) establishment of a botanical collection to be used as an educational and research resource. The flora survey of Candler’s Mountain and surrounding area is focused on identifying the >1200 vascular plant species known to be documented in Campbell County, the prevalence of native to invasive species, and distribution across identified Natural Communities. Ecological groups and community type are based on the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation classification of Natural Community Types. We expect the greatest biodiversity density to occur in the Seepage/Alluvial Swamp areas and the lowest density of biodiversity to occur in the Eastern White-Pine Hardwood area given the predominant species description and structure influencing species richness for this area. By providing an accessible system of primary data centralized in one location, these plant collections are essential in investigating plant types and plant biodiversity of ecoregions. The application of this documentation can support future conservation efforts of Virginia flora.