nrg-native-species-planting-guide-091714

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Native Plant Descriptions


Successful plant communities are usually composed of a combination of various woody and


herbaceous species. Proportions of each species characterize the various ecological


communities described in the guide. For instance, trees are largely absent from coastal dune


communities, but form the dominant vegetation in bottomland forest. Effective planting


strategies can be based on supplementing existing vegetation to replicate these communities,


depending on careful analysis of soils, light conditions, and hydrologic resources. Carefully


consider the mature sizes of specified plants to best determine the appropriate spacing.


Following are descriptions of the many native species suitable for planting in New York City.


There are several variables listed for each species, based on the research completed and


available at time of publication. Some plants are more well-studied than others, and as a result,


for certain species, there may be information that is simply not known.


Some of the information presented is technical in nature and to assist the reader the following


tables are provided to clarify the data.


Wetland Indicator Status:


OBL = >99% probability, plants always found in wet soil or standing water.


FACW = 67-99% probability, plants usually found in wet to moist soil.


FAC = 34-66% probability, plants occurring in both wetlands and moist upland soil.


FACU = 1-33% probability, plants sometimes occur in wetlands and tolerate moist to dry soil.


UPL = 0% probability, plants that almost never occur in wetlands and tolerate dry soil.


NI=No Indicator.


Salt Tolerance Level Explanation


Moderate salt tolerance The plant can tolerate some salt, but does not


necessarily do well in a coastal flood. If the


plant is ever inundated with salt water,


thoroughly rinse it with fresh water as soon as


possible.


High salt tolerance The plant lives in/very close to salt water and


can tolerate being flooded with salt water


either occasionally or all the time.

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