Botanical Survey of the War in the Pacific National Historical Park Guam, Mariana Islands

Abstract

This botanical inventory of War in the Pacific National Historical Park, located in the Territory of Guam, Mariana Islands, documents at least 90% of the plant taxa that occur within the seven units of the park (Asan Beach, Asan Inland, Fonte Plateau, Piti Guns, Agat, Mount Chachao-Mount Tenjo, and Mount Alifan). Documentation involved conducting field surveys, conducting literature searches for plants that occur in the park, vouchering plants and images, and populating the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring biodiversity database (NPSpecies) to create a plant checklist for War in the Pacific National Historical Park. The project lead and assistant conducted the majority of fieldwork in the summer of 2004 and 2005. Surveys consisted of walk-throughs in all major vegetation types found in each of the units. Field surveys totaled 27 field days (224 person hours). In summary, 392 plant taxa were identified in the seven park units. Fortyfour percent (173) of the plants are native to Guam and the Mariana Islands. Of the total plant taxa, four percent (15) are endemic and 40% (158) are indigenous to the Mariana Islands. Uncommon endemic plants observed during the survey included Cerbera dilitata, Maytenus thompsonii, Macaranga thompsonii, Phyllanthus saffordii, Xylosma nelsonii, Tinospora homosepala, and Hedyotis laciniata. One species, Guamia mariannae, is endemic to Guam and locally common in one unit. This report discusses areas of high native plant diversity observed in the park as well as resource management recommendations. During the course of this project, 755 plant specimens were collected as vouchers to create War in the Pacific National Historical Park’s herbarium. In addition, 673 digital images were vouchered, 277 landscape images were archived, and 2,255 new records were added to NPSpecies.