The Vascular Flora of Ech Lake, Alabama

A survey of the vascular flora of the Ech Lake region was conducted from February 1997 through December 1998. Ech Lake is located in the west-central section of Dale County, Alabama, on the Fort Rucker Army Installation. The study site comprised 162 ha of mostly forested, gently sloping land. A 2.0 ha lake is centrally located in the study area. Nine major habitats, including mesic hardwoods, xeric hardwoods, mixed pine-hardwoods, pine plantation, fields, floodplains, shorelines, grassy areas, and roadsides were found to occur at the study site. Collections were made twice weekly from April through November and once each week from December through March. The 507 species and varieties representing 289 genera and 102 families found to occur at the Ech Lake study area are presented in an annotated checklist.