The distribution ofJuncus roemerianus in the salt marshes of North America

Abstract

Although scattered individuals ofJuncus roemerianus Scheele may be found northward in New Jersey, Long Island, New York, Connecticut and southward along the Laguna Madre in Texas, Mexico and on the Caribbean islands, the species is most prevalent along the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States. Here there are approximately 3,174,333 hectares of salt marsh of which 72.9% occur on the Gulf coast and 27.1% on the Atlantic coast.Juncus roemerianus dominates 20.7% of the marsh in the south Atlantic states and 7.3% of the Gulf coast marshes, but covers more marsh area on the Gulf coast (170,067 hectares) than on the Atlantic coast (149,316 hectares). Thus, there are approximately 320,000 hectares of salt marsh dominated byJ. roemerianus in North America.