Scientific Note: The Federally Threatened Amaranthus pumilus Raf. (Seabeach Amaranth, Amaranthaceae) Rediscovered on Assateague Island After 31 Years

Amaranthus pumilus Raf. (Seabeach amaranth) was rediscovered on Assateague Island by the senior author on 3 August 1998, 31 years after the last known specimen was collected on 8 August 1967 by E.A. Higgins (MARY, s.n.!). Assateague Island is a 50-km island beginning at Ocean City Inlet in Worcester County, Maryland, and ending at Chincoteague Inlet in Accomack County, Virginia. Ocean City Inlet was stabilized by jetties after its formation by a 1933 hurricane; Chincoteague Inlet has not been stabilized. The National Park Service has managed the Maryland portion since 1965, with the exception of a small State park, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has managed the Virginia portion (all within Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge) for migratory waterfowl since 1943.