Summary

Alaska's flora is still imperfectly known. The Nulato Hills region is one of the largest areas in Alaska which had remained botanically unexplored prior to this survey. Our inventory has resulted in the first systematic collection of vascular and non vascular plants from the upland and alpine habitats of the Nulato Hills region. These collections are now data based and curated at the University of Alaska Museum Herbarium, Fairbanks (ALA).

One species new to North America is documented and is expected to be ranked as imperiled (S2) or critically imperiled (S1) by the Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP). Twelve taxa ranked as rare to critically imperiled (S1-S3) by the AKNHP are documented. These taxa are discussed above and detailed location and habitat information is available through ALA and AKNHP.

As expected when a botanically unknown region is surveyed, several range extensions and range connections are documented. Many of the range extensions into this region include taxa more commonly known from the arctic and the Bering Straits district. As suggested in the introduction, the Nulato Hills flora has possibly been enriched with these taxa through their near-contiguous upland connections to these endemic-rich areas. Less expected were range extensions of taxa best known from the uplands and alpine of interior Alaska. These taxa may have reached this area by way of the Kokrine Hills and other uplands north of the Yukon River, via the northern Kuskokwim Mountains, or along open, exposed floodplains of major drainages.

This inventory has contributed significantly to our knowledge of the range, abundance, and habitat preferences of several of Alaska's rare and sensitive plants. All land owners and managers who might be involved in management decisions effecting any of these taxa within any portion of their range will be better able to make sound decisions based on this additional information from the Nulato Hills region.