Keith P. Tomlinson, Virginia Sportsman Garden Column, spring 2017
The Flora of Virginia: Thinking of the whole state as one
big garden.
Thirteen years ago a few guests sat in my office and told me
about a bold new project to write a Flora of Virginia. It’s a gargantuan task;
to systematically describe every vascular plant found in the state. West
Virginia, the Carolina’s and Pennsylvania all had Floras written decades ago.
How could the home of Naturalist-President Thomas Jefferson not have its own
Flora yet? The project got underway with
three stellar scientists, Alan Weakley, Christopher Ludwig and John Townsend
plus veteran editor Bland Crowder. In 2012 the book was published in a single
volume at 1554 pages describing 3164 plants. Finally Virginia had its own
Flora, very likely the most comprehensive scientific book ever written on the
natural history of the state.
So what exactly is a Flora? It’s really a pretty straight
forward project; to document in complete botanical detail each vascular plant
(no mosses, lichens or liverworts) found growing naturally in the state. This
involves exacting collection of plants in the field for herbarium specimens to
verify the plants identity and existence in the state. This process is ongoing and represents the
work of many botanists over decades. The science of taxonomy is paramount; what
species is it. But the science of floristics is also important; where does it
grow and why? With ocean coastlines, wetlands, Piedmont hills and Appalachian
highlands, the state is home to many plant habitats. Virginia has a vast and
complex geological history that effects the composition and distribution of
many plant communities and forest types. Thus the plant diversity is very high
for the state’s size. 
Ornamental plants growing in gardens are not included in the
Flora with one important exception; if they begin to grow naturally on their
own in the wild. So the Flora includes
all native and naturalized plants in the state. That means there are a lot of
non-native, naturalized plants in the book. This is a particularly important
aspect of the Flora for natural resource managers and ecologists. But the most
appealing aspect of the Flora is the diversity of Virginia’s native plants, from
demur orchids and ancient bald cypress trees to small shrubs clinging to
limestone cliffs. The Flora is also a book of botanical art. Beautifully
detailed botanical Illustrations accompany nearly 45% of the species
descriptions. A work of this magnitude requires taxonomic botanists, artists,
ecologists and keen scientific editors
A flora has to be neatly organized into certain sections.
Beyond the core botanical descriptions, the book includes a fascinating section
on the history of botanical exploration in the state. Given the states location
and preeminent role in the founding of the United States, botanical exploration
was documented as early as 1588. The age of discovery is often focused on
intriguing tales from the tropics and exotic far flung islands, but Virginia
was its own hot spot for botanical exploration. Perhaps no other early botanist
was as influential as John Clayton who lived most of his life in Virginia. He
shared his discoveries and observations with Europe’s most influential botanists
of the time. As Virginia’s exceptional university system developed over the
next two centuries many notable botanists contributed to the understanding of
native plants and ecosystems. William and Mary Professor E.J. Grimes documented
many plants in the Williamsburg area in the early nineteen-twenties. VPI
Professor A.B Massey is credited with initiating many Virginia botany projects
during his prolific career. Several
talented botanists would continue to document new plants in the state through
further exploration and documentation.
A flora is frequently referred to as a “Manual” of vascular
plants. Indeed it is a prime instructional resource for botanist,
horticulturist, natural resource managers, interpretive naturalists and
students. If an unidentified plant is found by staff managing urban woodlands,
remote swamps or a steep mountain side, they can go right to the Flora. Native
plant Horticulturists can use the Flora to create ecologically balanced gardens.
Interpretive naturalists creating a nature center bird viewing area will want
to use native plants; once again the Flora is the go to resource. Occasionally,
a plant is found that might be new in the state and the Flora can be used to
verify such an occurrence. If the plant
is not documented in the Flora, it will be a new record for the state, to be
included in future editions.
For the student of Virginia native plants there is no other
more authoritative resource than the Flora. While it is a technical publication
of detailed botanical descriptions, the section on The Nature of the Virginia
Flora is wonderful reading for anyone interested in plants and the natural
history of the state. This section is written by the State Ecologist, Gary
Fleming and includes his remarkable photography. Beautifully described and
richly illustrated information on Virginia’s geography is related to differing
plant communities. From east to west the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Ridge
and Valley, Allegheny and Cumberland provinces are illustrated in great detail.
Tables, maps and photographs make this section of the Flora appealing to
amateur and professional alike. Ultimately, the huge natural wealth of Virginia
is revealed through Fleming’s ability to bridge science writing and descriptive
geology with engaging clarity.
In addition, Fleming contributes a section on 50 Productive Sites for Field Botany.
This is a travelogue of sorts for Virginians wanting to visit some of the state’s
most interesting and well conserved natural areas. Most of these sites are open
to the public in state, federal or regional parks. Some of the most fascinating
are the Virginia Natural Area Preserves spread across the state.
The combination of plant descriptions, the state’s
biogeography and history of botanical exploration makes the Flora a one of a
kind publication. Clearly, one of the great Floras published in the county if
not the world. The natural wealth of Virginia is truly diverse and in need of
careful conservation. The Flora of Virginia is an unparalleled resource in the
quest to understand and conserve plant diversity at the state level. Surely,
Thomas Jefferson would have a well-worn copy on his desk and marvel at
aesthetic and ecological bounty of Virginia.
