History and Vegetation of the Blackwater Ecologic Preserve

ABSTRACT
The Blackwater Ecologic Preserve includes the northernmost stand of <em>Pinus palustris</em> in the United States as well as several associated species unique in Virginia. The following two relict pyrophytic communities are recognized: <em>Pinus palustris</em>/<em>Quercus laevis</em>/mixed ericads on a sand ridge and <em>Pinus serotina</em>/<em>Pinus serotina-Quercus</em> <em>laevis</em>/mixed ericads or <em>Pyxidanthera barbulata</em> on a moist sand flat. Other communities include a mixed oak-pine slope, a black gum swamp, a river bluff, and an alluvial flat. Vegetation analyses of each community are presented. The history of botanical exploration, presettlement vegetation of the area, and importance of <em>Pinus palustris</em> in Virginia are discussed.