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By SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer 11/24/2007

Sandbar willow is listed as endangered.

Both have been found in Kennebec County, and are among the plant species the state wants to protect.

On Tuesday, the state Department of Conservation will take public comment on its newly updated list of endangered and threatened plants. It's the first update since 1999, and includes 100 species listed as endangered and 76 listed as threatened, said Don Cameron, a botanist with the Maine Natural Areas Program, which is part of the Department of Conservation.

"Plant species are part of the state's heritage," he said. "If we wantonly let them go by the wayside, we don't even know what we're losing most of the time."

The lists include trees, wildflowers, grasses, ferns and other types of plant life.

Those on the endangered list -- bitternut hickory, wild indigo and ebony sedge, to name a few -- exist in only one or two known places in the state, Cameron said. If they are threatened, scientists believe they are rare enough that they could become endangered, he said.

Wild ginger, which grows in rich woods, is described by the department as "critically imperiled in Maine" and has been found in six Maine counties dating back to 1857. Locally, it's been found in Kennebec, Franklin and Somerset counties.

Sandbar willow, a shrub, has been found in Kennebec County, but is also critically imperiled, according to the department.

Some of the species are threatened by development or increased logging operations.

"When a project comes up for conservation or development, it's important to know the habitat of rare plants or animals in that area," said Joshua Royte, a conservation planner with the Nature Conservancy in Maine. Royte said the ram's-head lady's-slipper, which is listed as endangered, is a tiny Maine orchid that's found in York and Somerset counties.

The orchid -- described as "globally rare" by the state -- is found in fewer than 100 places in the world, Royte said.

"It's pretty darn rare, and we want to keep track of it," he said.

The state also warns that orchids are vulnerable to collectors, but that plants dug from the wild usually don't survive.

For the Nature Conservancy, protecting large tracts of land has become increasingly more important to help keep the supporting habitat alive around the plants.

Declining numbers of particular species can alert scientists to bigger problems, which could include the absence of a certain type of bee or ant that normally would help the species stay alive, Royte said.

These lists are also helpful on a global scale, as scientists look for the affects of climate change.

In Maine, some species are at the northern or southern edge of their range, Royte said. Scientists want to know whether warmer temperatures and more rain will make a difference in where species grow.

Cameron said the state works closely with landowners to protect the flora that might one day be lost forever. He said a cooperative approach, rather than instituting penalties for those who pick endangered or threatened plants, works best.

Anyone who has new information about any of the species on the list is welcome to come to the meeting, or submit written information by Nov. 30.

"We spend a lot of time in the woods and water looking for plants to map sensitive habitats," he said.

Susan Cover -- 623-1056

scover@centralmaine.com

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