Two species, Amorpha fruticosa L. and Yucca flaccida Haw, new to northwestern Pennsylvania, are reported from the Gull Point region of Presque Isle State Park. One of these, A. fruticosa, is weedy and/or invasive and a noxious weed in parts of its distribution. Yucca flaccida is also reported to occur in Butler County in western Pennsylvania. A third species, Sedum acre L., is reported as new to Presque Isle State Park, but not to Erie County per se. A fourth species, Hyacinthoides hispanica (Mill.) Rothm, is reported as new to Pennsylvania. The species has been identified as a potential or emerging threat to natural areas, especially shaded areas, in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Amorpha fruticosa L. (FABACEAE)—Erie County: Erie, Presque Isle State Park, Gull Point Trail, open, sandy area alongside trail; 42810.1550N, 080804.1590W; elevation approximately 172 – 4.6 m; 15 August 2013. J. Chmielewski & David Krayesky 3228 (SLRO).
Significance
Amorpha fruticosa (false indigo bush) is native to North America. This species of shrub occurs from Manitoba to Quebec and south throughout the lower 48 states except for Montana and Nevada (Bailey 1949, Fernald 1950, Britton and Brown 1970, USDA, NRCS 2014). The species may not, however, be native to Pennsylvania, and instead, represents introductions from populations farther west and south (Rhoads and Block 2000, 2007). Alternatively, the species may have escaped cultivation to New York and New England beyond its normal range of southern Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey (Bailey 1949, Fernald 1950, Britton and Brown 1970, Magee and Ahles 1999, Anonymous 2014a).