The Vascular Flora of the Old Cahawba Forever Wild Tract, Dallas County, Alabama

The Old Cahawba Forever Wild Tract (OCFWT) is a 1216-ha property that was acquired by the State of Alabama Forever Wild Program in August 2009. The OCFWT is characterized by Black Belt prairie pockets, upland dry/calcareous forest, Pinus taeda (Loblolly Pine) plantations, and bottomland/floodplain forest. The property lies 114 km southwest of Selma, AL, and is bordered to the northeast by the Cahaba River. The site is managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with an emphasis on recreational use and habitat management. An intensive floristic study of this area was conducted from January 2010 through July 20113. A total of 691 taxa (690 species) from 411 genera and 139 families were collected, with 280 taxa being county records. Asteraceae was the most-collected family with 74 species. Poaceae. Fabaceae, and Cyperaceae were the next most-represented families with 63, 57, and 29 species, respectively. Quercus was the most-collected genus, represented by 13 species and two named hybrids. One hundred and thirty-three non-native species were collected during the surveys. One introduced species, Oxalis brasiliensis G. Lodd, was determined to be a North American record. Plant collections were deposited at the Alabama Natural Heritage Section Herbarium (ALNHS), with duplicates deposited at the Anniston Museum of Natural History Herbarium (AMAL), Jacksonville State University Herbarium (JSU), and Auburn University Herbarium (AUA).