o Grasses and herbaceous species from Mixed Oak-Hickory Forest and Maritime
Grasslands communities work well on green roofs, due to their tolerance of
winds, shallow soils and drought.
Cultural Communities:
Cultural communities are either created or maintained by human activities. Many
of our urban disturbed areas were once fill or dump sites that drastically changed
the soil makeup, permeability, and the natural plant communities that once
existed there. Reforestation and restoration claim a unique definition in a
densely populated city and require plant species that must thrive in areas with
low nutrient levels, low permeability, a minimal amount of organic matter, and
high salinity levels resulting from urban fill and runoff.
o WETLANDS: Many of New York City‟s shallow and deep emergent marshes
have been invaded by Phragmites, the common reed grass, or purple loosestrife.
Restoration in these high nutrient, fill/dump wetlands is a long-term process and
requires multiple methods. A number of native plant species can be gradually
introduced during the treatment process to help colonize newly disturbed land,
remediate the soil, and compete with the aggressive invasives.
Recommended Plants:
Graminoids
Carex atlantica Prickly bog sedge
Carex crinita Fringed sedge
Carex stricta Tussock sedge
Juncus canadensis Canadian rush
Juncus effusus Soft rush
Panicum virgatum Switchgrass
Scirpus cyperinus Wool grass
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Soft stem bulrush
Tripsacum dactyloides Eastern gamagrass
Forbs
Decodon verticillatus Swamp loostrife
Hibiscus moscheutos Rose-mallow
Solidago rugosa Wrinkleleaf goldenrod
Vines
Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper
Vitis labrusca Fox grape
Vitis riparia River grape
Shrubs
Baccharis halmifolia Groundsel bush
Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush