Written from a regional perspective, Flora Conservanda: New England 2012 is the New England Plant Conservation Program (NEPCoP) list of plants in need of conservation. The list contains plants growing in New England that are globally rare, regionally rare, and locally rare. It also lists plants that are considered historic to New England (though they may exist elsewhere in the U.S. or world) and plants whose status in the region is yet undetermined but are believed to be rare. More research is needed to properly categorize these latter species.

Originally published as a 1996 edition of Rhodora, the Journal of the New England Botanical Club (Volume 98, No. 895- issued July 7, 1997), the list has been updated for 2012 based on research accumulated over the past 15 years including taxonomic studies and field research by professionals and volunteers. Species have been added to the list based on their rarity in the wild, while others have been removed because they are now known to be more common than previously understood or our taxonomic understanding of the species has changed so that the species is not longer considered rare in New England.

The 2012 list is a snapshot of plant rarity in New England. The number of extant populations, state rarity ranks, and endangerment codes as published on this list may become outdated over time. The latest State Endangerment status and State Ranks can be found at Heritage Program websites.

We intend to produce an analysis of the changes in the rare flora of New England as demonstrated by the differences between the two versions of Flora Conservanda.  Both lists appear below.

          Document is in pdf format, 580 KB, 75 pages.

Flora Conservanda: New England (1996)

Document is in pdf format, 853 KB, 70 pages.