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Symposium on Wetlands of th'e Unglaclated Appalachian RegionWest Virginia University, Margantown, W.Va., May 26-28, 1982

Wetlands in Teays-stage Valleys in Extreme SoutheasternOhio: Formation and Flora

David M. Spooner 1.,

Ohio Department of Natural ResourcesFountain Square, Building F

Columbus, Ohio 43224

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ABSTRACT. A vegetational survey was conducted of Ohio wetlands within an area drained bythe preglacial Marietta River (the main tributary of the Teays River in southeastern Ohio) andalong other tributaries of the Teays River to the east of the present-day Scioto River and south ofthe Marietta River drainage. These wetlands are underlain by a variety of poorly drainedsediments, including pre-Illinoian lake silts, Wisconsin lake silts, Wisconsin glacial outwash,and recent alluvium. A number of rare Ohio species occur in these wetlands. They includePotamogeton pulcher, Potamogeton tennesseensis, Sagittaria australis, Carex debilis var.debilis, Carex straminea, Wo(f(ia papu/({era, P/atanthera peramoena, Hypericum tubu/osum,Viola lanceo/ata, Viola primu/({o/ia, HO/lonia in/lata, Gratio/a virginiana, Gratiola viscidu/avar shortii and Utriculariagibba. In Ohio, none of thesewetlandsexist in their natural state.They have become wetter in recent years due to beaver activity. This beaver activity is creatingopen habitats that may be favorable to the increase of many of the rare species. The wetlandsarealso subject to a variety of destructive influences, including filling, draining, and pollution fromadjacent strip mines. All of the communities in these wetlands are secondary.

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INTRODUCTION

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Wetlands are uncommon habitats in southeastern

Ohio. The botanical diversity of theseareas has long beenrecognized. Beatley (1959) includes a list of over 1,100vascular plant species collected by Floyd Bartley inJackson County, Ohio. The Ohio Department of NaturalResources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves,documents this county as the third most diverse county inOhio (out of 88) with regard to the number of endangeredand threatened vascular plant species (Robert McCance

pers. comm. 1982).This diverse county flora is due in partto the wetland habitats well represented in this county.

My work is based on a survey, in a selectedportion ofthese wetlands, to verify old records of rare species,locatenew records, and evaluate thesewetland areasfor possibleinclusion in a state nature preserve system. The rare

species list consulted is that of the Ohio Department ofJ

I Present add ress: Department of BotanyThe Ohio State UniversityColumbus, Ohio 43210

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Natural Resources, Division of Natural Areas andPreserves, 1982. This list varies significantly from anearlier 1980 list and reflects updated informationcompiled by this Division.

Wetlands were surveyed within an area formerlydrained by the preglacial Marietta R~.(!he maintributary of the preglacial Teays River in southeasternOhio) and along other tributaries of the Teays River tothe east of the present-day Scioto River and south of theMarietta River drainage (Fig. I). Names and maps ofthese preglacial tributaries arefrom Stout, Ver Steeg, andLamb (1943).

The term wetland in this study is defined as a

naturally wet area that is generally covered by standingwater throughout the spring, during nonflood conditions.This survey does not address artificial bodies of water.The maximum water depth in the study areas is rarelymore that four feet. Many of the wetlands are quite small,ranging from a fraction of a hectare to almost 100hectares. Nearly contiguous wetlands, however, may beconnected by periodically moist soil that may harbormany of the characteristic species of the areas.

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HISTORY OF DRAINAGE CHANGES ANDFORMATION OF WETLANDS IN THE

STUDY AREA

The present-day drainage in Ohio bears littleresem blance to pre-Pleistocene drainage. Formerdrainage lines, mostly now abandoned, are evidentthroughout unglaciated Ohio. In many cases, these oldvalleys occur at levels higher than present-day streams.Perhaps the first account of such a valley is that ofHildreth (1836), who described an abandoned valley inWashington County, Ohio, that was at one time occupiedby Barlow Creek, a headwater tributary of the MariettaRiver (Fig. I). This valley had isolated deposits ofsediments that Hildreth interpreted as having formed onthe floor of an ancient lake.

Subsequent to Hildreth's report, other workersdescribed similar abandoned valleys, with sediments inportions of the valleys. Campbell (1900) studiedsediments along an abandoned valley in Cabell andPutnam counties, West Virginia. Tight (1903) providedthe first comprehensive account of the drainage systemthese sediments are deposited in. He named this systemthe Teays River. Further details of this river wereprovided by Stout (1916, 1927), Rhodehamel andCarlston (1963), Stout and Lamb (1938), Stout, Ver Steegand Lamb (1943), and Ver Steeg (1946).

The Teays River originated in the Piedmont ofVirginia and North Carolina, flowed across WestVirginia, and entered Ohio near Huntington, WestVirginia. It followed essentially the route of the OhioRiver Valley northwestward to near Wheelers burg inScioto County, where it became diverted to Jlorthward

along a now largely abandoned valley east of the present-day Scioto River, cut west to Waverly in Pike County,and flowed northward roughly along the present-dayScioto River Valley as far as Chillicothe (Fig. I). It thenturned northwest across Ohio, then went westward across

Indiana and Illinois, and eventually joined the ancientMississippi River (Ver Steeg 1946). The size of the TeaysRiver was comparable to the Ohio River (Stout et al.1943). The term "Teays System" is today used to refer tothe Teays River and all of its tributaries. The MariettaRiver was its major tributary in southeastern Ohio (Stoutet al. 1943).

The northwestward flow of the Teays River isbelieved to have been blocked and ponded by an earlyglacial advance, either the Kansan of pre-Kansan glacier(Stout and Schaff 1931), forming long narrow lakes

. throughout southeastern Ohio and West Virginia. Wolfe(1942) presents a theoretical extent of this lake, which iscalled Lake Tight. The sediments deposited on the bed ofthis lake have been named the Minford Silts (Stout andSchaff 1931). It is unlikely, however, tha.t the extent ofLake Tight as reconstructed by Wolfe was ever present atanyone time, but that the lake had different levels and

extents at different times, reflecting different stages of

glacial advance (Jane Forsyth pers. comm. 1981).The fullextent of the lake is not known, but is may have coveredextensive portions of southeastern Ohio and adjacentWest Virginia and Kentucky. Meijer et al. (1981) mappedswamp forests on lacustrine sediments far south intoKentucky, and suggested that some of thesesedimentsmay have been deposited during this early ponding. Thislake is believedto have existed for many thousands ofyears;estimatesrange from 6,500to 25,000years(Hoyer1976).

The lake became clogged with silts, possibly frommany origins. Stout and Schaff (1931)believedthat themajority of the sediments originated from materialscarried down the Teays River, as these silts are composedlargely of micaceous minerals common in the schists ofthe Piedmont Plateau where the Teays River originated.Hoyer (1976), however, speculated that some of thematerial originated from glacial materials from the north,or locally from surrounding hills. Jane Forsyth (pers.comm. 1982)has examined these lacustrine deposits inmany places throughout the study area. She has foundthem to be largely calcareous in nature and believes theyare of glacial origin.

Eventually, Lake Tight is believed to have spilledwestward over old stream divides, cutting new channels,and draining the lake (Stout and Schaff 1931).The newdrainage system that resulted bore little resemblance tothe Teays drainage. It was termed the Deep-Stagedrainage (Stout and Lamb 1938), for in southern Ohiothis new system cut channels much deeper than the Teayssystem. At Wheelersburg, Ohio, there is a 19.o-footdifference between the rock floor of the Teays River andthe rock floor of the Ohio River. The Ohio River Valley inthis area at Deep-Stage time was occupied by theCincinnati River, the master stream ofthe area (Stout andLamb 1938).

Deep-Stagedrainage in southeastern Ohio occupiedvalleys very similar to those that exist today. Twosubsequent glacial advances, the Illinoian and theWisconsin, modified certain Deep-Stage valleys byaggradation of the channels by deposition of glacialoutwash (Stout et al. 1943).

Many of the sediments deposited in valleys of thestudy area were subsequently eroded by glacialmehwaters or water from local streams, but lacustrinedeposits as thick as 80 feet are known to occur insoutheastern Ohio (Stout et al. 1943).The silts depositedin LakeT~ghtwereoriginallynamed the MinfordSiltsbyStout and Schaff (1931), for deposits at the type locality atan exposure along a railroad cut near Minford, SciotoCounty, Ohio. Hoyer (1976) studied these deposits indetail in portions of Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, andScioto counties,and modified the terminology of earlierworkers. Basalsands and gravelsof the TeaysRiver,withan average thickness of 20 feet in Hoyer's study area,underlie the silts. Hoyer named these deposits the GalliaSand Member.Overthis liesthe "Minford Silts"of Stout

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8ul. ...r..-.0 .. Ii,. .. '0 O. ..

SuI.. , I. "', ... - ..-, . HiI..I. "'"

eo ".... "'om.y,.

TEAYS STA(-,E DR~INAGE

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Figure 1. Map showing the preglacial Teays drainage inOhio, from Forsyth (1965). (Modification of a map inStout, Ver Steeg, and Lamb, 1943);and enlargement ofstudy area (from Stout, Ver Steeg, and Lamb, 1943).

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,,and Schaff (1931), which Hoyer renamed the MinfordClay Member. (He gave no average thickness for his studyarea.) This deposit is not all clay, however, as Hoyer'sterm may suggest. The deposit at Minford consists ofgrey, calcareous alternating silt and clay (Goldthwait etal. 1961). Over the silt and clay are a variety of loamysediments with an average thickness of 8.3 feet in Hoyer'sstudy area. This loamy sediment is a heterogeneousmixture of alluvium, colluvium, and loess (Hoyer 1976).

The "Minford Silts" are widely distributed and arefound in areas near the headwaters of the preglacialMarietta River. Collins and Smith (1977) map thesedeposits in the vicinity of preglacial Barlow Creek inwestern Washington County, and report that they are atleast five feet thick in places. Barlow Creek is the areawhere Hildreth (1838) reported the occurrence oflacustrine sediments. Sturgeon (1958)and Bossong (1975)map these deposits in Athens County, and Stout andSchaff (1931) mention that these deposits are found inAdams, Scioto, Pike, Lawrence, Jackson, Vinton,Hocking, Gallia, Meigs, Athens, Perry, Washington,Noble, and parts of several other counties. Beatley (1959)mapped areas where these deposits probably occur inJackson and Vinton counties.

The H0cking, Muskingum, and Scioto rivers servedas channels for glacial meltwaters. A series of ll1inoianand Wisconsin outwash terraces are present along theHocking River, and Wisconsin and Illinoian lake silts arepresent along Sunday and Monday creeks and othertributaries of the Hocking River (Birkheimer 1971,Goldthwait et al. 1961, Hall 1951, Kempton 1956,Kempton and Goldthwait 1959,Merrill 1953,Stonestreet1965, and Sturgeon 1958). Lakes were formed asbackwater areas in tributaries became dammed byll1inoian and Wisconsin glacial outwash in the mainstreams (Stonestreet, 1965). Laminated clays, silts, andsands accumulated in these valleys in the slackwaterconditions of these lakes. Most of these deposits wereeroded away during interglacial times, but some remain inplaces along the sides of these tributaries (Stonestreet,1965). Wisconsin and ll1inoian outwash terraces are alsopresent along the Ohio and Scioto rivers (Bossong 1975,Goldthwait et al. 1961, Hubbard 1954, Kempton andGoldthwait 1954).

In summary, the wetlands in the study area areunderlain by a variety of sediments. The most extensivesediment type under these wetlands, present probably inevery county in the study area but best represented in thesouthern portion, are the Minford Silts (Minford Clay

, member of Hoyer 1976).Other wetlandsalong Sundayand Monday creeks, tributaries of the Hocking River, areunderlain by Wisconsin slackwater lake sediments(Merrill 1953,Stonestreet 1965).A few wetlands occur onrecent alluvium along portions of Racc<3°n Creek andLittle Raccoon Creek. Wetlands along these streamsoccur in areas outside of the postulated areas of theoccurrence of the Minford Silts as mapped by Beatley

(1959). In addition, some soil types found along LittleRaccoon Creek are those that characteristically form onrecent alluvium (Alexander Ritchie pers. comm. 1982).Afew wetlands occur on cut terraces along the Ohio Rivernear Haverhill in Scioto County, and near Burlington andProctorville in Lawrence County. Hubbard (1954)interprets the Haverhill terrace as a Wisconsin outwashterrace. He interprets a similar terrace at South Point,Lawrence County, as a Wisconsin outwash terrace also.The Burlington and Proctorville wetlands occur on cutterraces not mentioned in Hubbard's paper, but theseterraces occur slightly upstream on levelsaccordant to theSouth Point terrace and are probably also on a Wisconsinqutwash terrace. Figure 2 shows the location of all of thewetlands in Jackson County, Ohio, showing theirrelationship in most cases to present or preglacialdrainage lines.

Soils developed on these wetlands vary according tothe geological materials present. The list of soils below isfar from complete but was all of the information of recentsoils data available at the time of this writing. Recent soils

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IJACKSON CQUNTY

Figure 2. The location of wetlands in Jackson County,Ohio. The squares on the map are township sections,approximately one square mile in area. The MariettaRiver and some of its tributaries, including HamdenCreek, are pre-glacial drainages. Little Raccoon Creek is

a modern stream.

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data are not yet complete for all of the counties in thestudy area. A recent soil survey does exist, however, forWashington County (Lessig et aI. 1977)and surveys are inpress for Athens and Jackson counties. Surveys are alsoin progress for GaIIia, Scioto, and Pike counties.Information presented below is drawn from examinationof completed or nearly completed soil surveys or frominformation provided (1982) by Alexander Ritchie, soilscientist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources,Division of Lands and Soils.

Soils along some wetlands along Sunday andMonday creeks in Athens County are mapped asFitchvilIe Silt Loam. These wetlands occur alongpreglacial headwater tributary valleys of the MariettaRiver, and are underlain by Wisconsin Lake Silts(Sturgeon 1958).Soil on a wetland along Margaret Creekin Athens County in the valley of the preglacial AlbanyRiver, formed on recent alluvium (Sturgeon 1958), ismapped as Nolan Silt Loam. Soil of a wet field alongpreglacial Barlow Creek, a headwater tributary of theMarietta River, underlain by Minford Silts (Collins andSmith 1977), is mapped as Taggart Silt Loam. Soil in awetland along the Ohio River in Scioto County,underlain by Wisconsin glacial outwash (Hubbard 1954),is mapped as Weinbach Silt Loam and Peoga Silt Loam.Soils of wetlands along the lower courses of the preglacialMarietta River drainage are mapped as Doles Silt Loamand Piopolis Silt Loam. The Piopolis Silt Loam is themost common soil type in the southern portion of thestudy area. All of the above soils, except the Nolan SiltLoam, are characterized by an aquic moisture regime(U.S. Dept. Agr. 1975).They have poor internal drainageand may be wet during parts of the year. On the otherhand, according to Beatley (1959), many of the wetlandsoils in Jackson and Vinton counties can become quitedroughty later in the growing season. This droughtinesswas evident throughout my study. Many areas that werecovered by standing water in the spring had very dry soilwith surface cracks later in the season.

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VEGETATION OF THE WETLANDS

() Methods

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Wetlands in the study area were located by notingmarsh, swamp, depression, or natural open-watersymbols on 7.5 minute topographic maps. In addition,many valleys near such areas were also examined. TeaysRiver tributaries were all examined on 7.5 minute

topographic maps as possible locations of wetlands. Themap in Stout et al. (1943) was used, but the maps inBeatley (1959), Collins and Smith (1977), Sturgeon(1958), and Tight (1903) were more u~eful due to theirgreater detail.

Location data for rare species previously collectedfrom these areas were obtained from the OhioDepartment of Natural Resources, Division of Natural

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Areas and Preserves, data base of rare elements ofdiversity in the state. Specimens collected during mystudy are deposited in herbaria at Kent State University,Miami University, and The Ohio State University. Datasheets are deposited at the Ohio Department of NaturalResources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves.

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Results and Discussion

Previous botanical studies have been conducted inthese wetlands. Beatley (1959) discussed the wetlands inJackson and Vinton counties and described: a pin oak-redmaple association on tight clays underlain by a clay pan indepressions and flats; an elm-sycamore-river birch-redmaple association on alluvial bottoms or variousmixtures of sands, silts and clays; an elm-white ash-redmaple association in areas with better drainage andaeration conditions, and a cattail to sedge meadow toalder, button bush, swamp rose succession in the wettestareas. Rypma (1961) discussed various swamp-foresttypes along the Ohio, Muskingum, and Hocking rivervalleys in Athens and Washington counties. He describeda willow-sycamore-soft maple association in poorlydrained areas away from river banks, a pin oak-bur oakassociation along Sunday Creek Valley, and a cattail-sedge meadow to alder-button bush-willow to willow-elm-soft maple succession in the wettest areas. Cusick andSilberhorn (1977) discussed swamp forests and wetlandsof the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau of Ohio, and statethat swamp white oak and black willow are dominants onthe wettest sites, and that American elm, sycamore, silvermaple, Ohio buckeye, and in extreme southern Ohio,sweet gum, are dominants on the less wet areas. Theresults of my research are largely in agreement with thoseof these previous studies. Beatley's (1959) classic analysisis especially complete and descriptive. Pin oak-red mapleis a well-defined type on areas underlain by MinfordClays, and in some swamps along Sunday and Mondaycreeks underlain by Wisconsin Lake Silts (Sturgeon 1958,Stonestreet 1965). Pin oak was apparently overlooked inthese sites by Rypma (1961), who reported it missing.Swamp white oak, white ash, green ash, red elm, andAmerican elm are present in lesser amounts.

All of the vegetation in the study sites is secondary,and almost all communities are very young and disturbed.In these successional communities occur many differentcombinations of red maple, silver maple, river birch, redelm, American elm, and black willow. By far the mostcommon of the above is red maple. River birch commonlyoccurs in depressions away from flowing water as well asalong water courses. Sycamore can be found in better-drained swamps on recent alluvium. Sweet gum is locallycommon in swamps along the Ohio River and in moresouthern portions of the study area.

Individual species found in these communities arelisted in Table I. The statewide rarity of these plants,according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources,

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,Table 1. Species found in southeastern Ohio Teays Valley wetlands.

Standing water in open sunny areas:ZOSTERACEAEPotamogeton diversifolius Raf.Potamogeton foliosus Raf.Potamogeton pulcher Tuckerm., (E) IPotamogeton tennesseensis Fern., (E) INAJADACEAENajas minor All., CLEMNACEAELemna minor L., CSpirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid.Wofflia columbiana Karst.Wolffia papu/(fera C. H. Thompson, (T) I

CERATOPHYLLACEAECeratophyllum demersum L.NYMPHAEACEAEBrasenia schreberi Gmel., INelumbo lutea (Willd.) Pers., INuphar advena (AiL) AiL f.Nymphaea tuberosa PainePRIMULACEAEHottonia in.t7ataEll., (E) ILENTIBULARIACEAEUtricularia gibba L., (P) IRUBIACEAECephalanthus occidentalis L., C

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Water margins or moist areas adjacent to open water in open sunny areas:TYPHACEAE POLYGONACEAETypha lat({olia L., C Po(rgonum hydropiperoides Michx., CSPARGANIACEAE ANACARDIACEAESparganium americanum Nutt., C Rhus radicans L.GRAMINEAE ROSACEAELeersia oryzoides (L.) Sw. Rosa palustris Marsh., CCYPERACEAE Spiraea lomentosa L.Scirpus cyperinus (L.) Kunth, C CORNACEAEScirpus atrovirens Willd., C Comus amomum Mill., CARACEAE CAPRIFOLIACEAEAcorus calamus L. Sambucus canadensis L.

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CORYLACEAEAlnus serrulala (AiL) Willd., C

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CYPERACEAECarex annectens Bickn.Carex bromoides Schkuhr

. Carex comosa BoottCarex debilis Michx. var debilis, (E) ICarexfrankii KunthCarex incomperla Bickn., ICarex intumescens Rudge, CCarex lacuslris Willd.Carex lupu/(formis Sartwell, (P) ICarex lupulina Muhl, CCarex lurida Wahlenb., C

Open or partially shaded areas with moist soil throughout the wetlands:POLYPODIACEAE Carex scoparia SchkuhrGnoclea sensibilis L. Carex squarrosa L.

Carex straminea Willd., (E) ICarex tribuloides Wahlenb.Carex tuckermanii Boott, ICarex vulpinoidea Michx.Cyperus esculentus L.Cyperus strigosus L., CEleocharis acicularis (L.) R. & S.Eleocharis obtusa (Willd.) SchultesScirpus pendulus Muhl.Scirpus validus Vahl.JUNCACEAEJuncus hil70rus Ell.Juncus e.ffusus L., CJuncus lenuis Willd.

ORCHIDACEAEPlatanthera peramoena Gray., (P) IURTICACEAEBoehmeria cylindrica (L.) Sw.Pi/ea pumilll (L.) GrayPOLYGONACEAEPo(rgonum ar({olium L.Polrgonum coccineum Muhl.Po(rgonum cOlJvolvulus L.Po(rgonum pensylvanicum L.Po~rgonum punctatum Ell., CPo~rgonum sagittatum L., CCALLITRICHACEAECallitriche heterophylla Pursh

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SPARGANIACEAESparganium americanum Nutl.Sparganium eurycarpum Engelm., IALISMATACEAEAlisma suhcordatum Raf.Sagittaria auslralis (J. G. Smith) Small, (P) ISagittaria breviroslra Mackenz. & BushSagittaria lati{olia Willd.GRAMINEAECinna arundiacea L.Echinoc/oa crusgalli (L.) Beauv.Eragrostis hypnoides (Lam.) BSP.G~rceria seplenlrionalis Hitchc., CPanicum microcarpon Muhl.Panicum stipalum Nash.Phalaris arundinacea L.

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Table 1 Continued.

UMBELLIFERAECiCUlOmow/ota L.PRIMULACEAEDecodon ~'erticillatus (L.) Ell.Lysimachia nummu/aria L.Sarno/us parv(florus Raf., IASCLEPIADACEAEAsclepias incarnata L.CONVOVULACEAECuscuta gronovii Willd.VERBENACEAEVerhena hastata L.

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LABIATAEl.ycopus americanus Muhl.l.rcopus virginicus L.Mimu/us a/atus Ait.Mimu/us ringens L.SCUlellaria/ater(flora L.SCROPHULARIACEAEChe/one g/ahra L.Lindernia duhia (L.) PennellGratio/a virginiana L., (T) IGratio/a viscidu/a Pennell var shortii (Pennell) Gleason, (T) IRUBIACEAEDiodia virginiana L., (T) IGa/ium tinctorium Michx., CCAMPANULACEAELohelia cardina/is L.. COMPOSITAEBidens tripartita L., CEclipta a/ha (L.) Hassk.l:.rechtites hierac((olia (L.) Raf.Eupatorium fistu/osum BarrattEupatorium perfo/iatum L.

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BALSAMINACEAEImpatiens capensis Meerb., CMAL VACEAEHibiscus militoris Cav., IHibiscus moscheutos L.Hibiscus pa/ustris L.HYPERICACEAEHypericum muti/um L.Hypericum tubulosum Walt., (T) IVIOLACEAEViola lanceolata L., (E) IViola primul((olia L., (E) IRANUNCULACEAERanunculus septentrionalis Pair.Thalictrum po(rgamum Muhl.CRUCIFERAECardamine pensy/vanica Muhl.Rorippa palustris (L.) Bess.CRASSULACEAEPenthorum sedoides L.

ROSACEAEAgrimonia parv((lora Ait., CLEGUMINOSAEApios americana Medic.MELASTOMA TACEAERhexia virginica L., (P) IONAGRACEAELudwigia altern((olia L.Ludwigia pa/ustris (L.) Ell., CLudwigia polycarpa Short & PeterOenothera pi/osella Raf., IHALORAGACEAEProserpinaca pa/ustris L.

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Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (1982) is given inparenthesis after the names of the rare species. Thesesymbols are: (P) = potentially threatened, (T) =

threatened, and (E) = endangered. Inaddition, commonspecies occurring in these wetland areas are designated byC, and infrequently encountered species are designated byI. Species lacking such designations occur withintermediate frequencies, but may be common in someareas.

These wetlands harbor many species rare to Ohio.Post-1950 occurrences of certain of these species aremapped in Figures 3 and 4. They are discussed below.

Gratia/a viscidu/a var. shortii is apparently a rareendemic in southeastern Ohio and adjacent West Virginiaand Kentucky. Gratia/a viscidu/a var. shortii wasoriginally described as G. viscidu/a subsp. shortii byPennell (1935), but was subsequently given varietal statusby Gleason (1952). It differs from Gratjo/a viscidu/a var.viscidu/a by its larger sepals, leaves, and petals. Pennell(1935) had a Floyd Bartley specimen of this variety fromJackson County, Ohio, and a C. W. Short specimen ofthis variety from an unspecified site in Kentucky. It was

subsequently collected in Gallia and Scioto counties,Ohio, in Putnam County, West Virginia (Cooperrider1976),and in Mason County, West Virginia (Brumfield etal. 1981). In 1980, the Ohio Department of NaturalResources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves,classified it as an endangered species. It is nowdocumented from a number of sites in wetlands in thestudy area, including Pike County. No extant Kentuckysites are known, but it should be sought in wetlandsunderlain by lacustrine sediments in the Teays-stagevalleys.

P/atanthera peramoena is widely scattered~

throughout these wetlands, with most of its Ohiolocalities occurring in these areas. It is also known fromwet acidic soils on the Illinoian Till Plain of Ohio. It wasformerly considered for listing as a federally threatenedspecies, but has subsequently been withdrawn fromconsideration for federal listing. Its distribution isdiscussed at length elsewhere (Spooner and Shelly,Rhodora, in press).

Lowland species existing during Teays time arepostulated by Wolfe (1942) to have been eliminated in the

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Post-1950 occurrences

* Hyperi cum tubu 1osum.Gratiola virginianac Carex strami nea-Gratfola viscidula var.. Viola .Erimul ifol ia

shortii

Figure 3. Post-1950 occurrences of some rare species insoutheastern Ohio superimposed over a map ofthe Teays

Drainage System.

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Post-1950 occurrences

i .Hottonia inflatacPotamogeton tennesseensis.Potamogeton pulcher*Carex debilis var. debilis-'Ot'rTCularia gibbaYWolffia ~ulifera

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Figure 4. Post-1950 occurrences of some rare species insoutheastern Ohio superimposed over a map ofthe Teays

Drainage System.

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Species

Potamogeton tennesseensisPotamogeton pulcherCarex stramineaCarex debilis var. debilisHypericum tubulosum

Viola primulifoliaHottonia inflataGratiola virginiana

Utricularia gibba

Wolffia papulifera

inundated valleys covered by Lake Tight. However, it ispossible that many of these wetland species could havesurvived such an inundation. Small pockets of wetlandhabitats have been formed about Lake Katharine, arelatively undisturbed artificial lake in Jackson County.These wetland habitats contain many ofthe characteristicspecies of the wetlands of the study area. Lake Katharinewas formed in the late 1930s by the damming of RockRun. The waters rose about 20 feet in a year or two,probably much faster than the rising waters of LakeTight.

Wetlands in the study area have become much wetterand more open in recent years, due to beaver activity. Thebeaver was extirpated from Ohio about 1800and was notrecorded again in the state until 1936.The first statewidebeaver survey, made in 1947, revealed 25 active coloniescontaining 100 to 124 animals in II counties. By 1980,12,390 beavers in 43 counties were recorded in Ohio. Themajority of these were in northeastern Ohio, but manyoccurred in southeastern Ohio (Bednarik 1981).Many ofthe wetlands have dead standing trees indicating aformerly wooded habitat. Beaver activity is evidentthroughout the area. One large marsh in Jackson County,"Baker Swamp," was formerly wooded with large trees. Alongtime resident of the area mentioned that the large

, trees in the swamp were cut for timber a number of yearsago, and beaver came in soon afterward and raised thewater level and leveled all remaining trees. The more opencondition throughout these wetlands has providedincreased habitat for many of the rare species.

These wetlands are subject to a variety of destructiveinfluences, many of which are apparently not favorablefor an increase in rare plant species. As some oft he larger

Teays valleys are natural transportation corridors, roadsand railroads now traverse many of the areas. The naturaldrainage has been affected in some cases both by artificialdrainage and by ponding. Many of the wetlands havebeen drained or filled in for agricultural uses. All havebeen logged. Perhaps the most destructive influence,however, has been acid runoff and sedimentation fromabandoned coal mines. Evidence of pollution' fromnearby mines was evident in many places in this studyarea. Many of these wetlands occupy low, flat positionsthat make them natural basins in which this runoff canaccumulate. Mining is still active in southeastern Ohioand will therefore pose a continuing threat to these areas.

Wetlands are uncommon habitats in this area ofOhio. They harbor rare Ohio species and are a significantfactor to the natural diversity of the area. It is hoped thatsome will be preserved for future generations.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author especially thanks Dr. Jane Forsyth,Geology Department, Bowling Green State University,for her critical comments and valuable suggestions on thisreport. H~ also thanks Dr. Barbara Andreas, Dr. DennisAnderson, Allison Cusick, and Susan Laverty, OhioDepartment of Natural Resources, Division of NaturalAreas and Preserves; Dr. Myron Sturgeon, GeologyDepartment, Ohio University; and Dr. Ronald Stuckey,Botany Department, The Ohio State University, forhelpful suggestions and critique of this report. He alsothanks Alexander Ritchie, Jr., Ohio Department ofNatural Resources, Division of Lands and Soils, for helpin gathering and interpreting soils information.

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Table 2. Some Rare Ohio Species in Wetlands of the Study Area.

Post-1950 Pre-1950 Post-l 950 Pre-1950county records in records in records outside records outsidestudy area study area study area study area

Jackson Vinton ColumbianaJackson, Scioto Jackson Portage, SummitJackson WayneJackson JacksonJackson, Morgan Vinton Columbiana,

GuernseyJackson, Scioto PortageScioto Ashtabula, LakeGallia, Jackson, Clermont, ErieLawrence, Scioto

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Athens, Gallia, Champaign, Defiance, Erie,Jackson, Lawrence, Cuyahoga, Holmes, Fairfield, Franklin, iScioto Portage, Stark, Geauga, Wayne

Summit, TrumbullScioto Jackson Greene, Lorain,

Portage, Warren

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