Last updated: August 30, 2021
Article
Georges 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 Georges Island.
Data Notes:
* = introduced species
(v) = voucher specimen
(p) = photograph
Due to formatting restrictions, species scientific names are not italicized in the data table.
* = introduced species
(v) = voucher specimen
(p) = photograph
Due to formatting restrictions, species scientific names are not italicized in the data table.
| Species_Scientific_Name | Species_Common_Name | Family | Date_Observed | Habitat |
|---|
Notes on Habitats and Flora
In spite of the dominating presence of Fort Warren, the Visitor’s Center, and other buildings, George’s Island has a variety of habitats, including shrub thickets, old fields, grassy lawns (the picnic areas and fort grounds), rocky shoreline, and a small area of sandy beach. Cracks in the massive jumble of rocks comprising the seawall provide growing conditions for salt-tolerant plants.
Most of the species found on George’s Island are weedy plants characteristic of disturbed sites, but the island is home to the only known ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) population in the Boston Harbor Islands. Dale Levering (1978) discovered these ferns, which survive in mortar cracks on the fort’s north-facing outer walls, 15-20 feet above the ground.