Middle Brewster Island Plants

In a two-year project funded by the Island Alliance to study the vegetation of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area, 32 islands were surveyed and inventoried for vascular plant species. Field surveys began on 9 June 2001 and ended on 30 September 2002.

Below is the data collected for Middle Brewster Island.

Island Acreage: 13.6

Owner: DEM

Rare Plants: Angelica lucida (WL; 1976)

Quadrangle: Hull, MA

Survey Dates: 3 July, 2001; 3 August, 2001; 8 August, 2002.

Data Notes:

• = introduced species

(v) = voucher specimen

(p) = photograph

Due to formatting restrictions, species scientific names are not italicized in the data table.

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Notes on Habitats and Flora

Middle Brewster is a forbidding island. Slippery, guano-slicked cliffs and outcrops surround the island, and the top is covered by dense patches of shrubs and rough perennial forbs. The island’s southwestern side has copses of Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila), while the center is dominated by large patches of blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioca ssp. gracilis). Traversing Middle Brewster is a challenge.

A small cattail (Typha latifolia) marsh is located on the island’s eastern end. The marsh was completely dry when it was surveyed for plants on August 3. Mandy Karnauskas collected a specimen of silverweed (Potentilla anserina) at a rock pool in the vicinity of the marsh on July 3. This is the only known location on the Harbor Islands for this saltmarsh species.

This island should be investigated for flora once more in 2002. The difficulty of the landing and terrain and the belligerence of the gulls during nesting season should be borne in mind.

In 1976, Julio Hernandez reported seaside angelica (Angelica lucida) on the island. The most likely location for this watch-listed species is the cattail marsh, but I did not see it in 2001. The marsh should be checked again for this species, and also for the extent of the silverweed population.

Where this belongs

• Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area

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