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Information About Plants

Cape May Plant Materials Center

The Cape May PMC is one of 26 Centers operated by NRCS throughout the United States. The National Plant Materials Program and the Plant Materials Centers provide conservation plant releases, publications and technical information, and tools used in plant materials work.

Coastal panic grassThe 88th U.S. Congress authorized the establishment of the Cape May Plant Materials Center after a Nor’easter, known as the ‘Storm of 1962,’ caused severe damage from Long Island to the Carolina coast. The Center’s mission was to develop plant products and technology to enhance shoreline stabilization in coastal areas vulnerable to damage from hurricanes and tropical storms. The Cape May facility provides conservation services for East coast which includes significant portions North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The Cape May Plant Materials Center addresses the following priority resource issues:

  • utilizing plants to stabilize sand dunes and prevent shoreline erosion
  • developing cover crops for use on low residue crops
  • controlling wind erosion using windbreaks and herbaceous wind barriers
  • developing techniques for stabilizing eroding sites

The following document requires Adobe Acrobat.
Cape May Plant Material Center Brochure (923 kb) - General information about the Plant Material Center operation in Cape May, New Jersey

Plant Releases from the Cape May Plant Materials Center

The PMC selects and propagates plant cultivars called releases that are best-suited for the East coast, and tests them in field trials. Breeder or foundation material of these plants is made available to the public through commercial nurseries.

New - Released in 2007!

The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.
Adobe Acrobat DocumentHigh Tide Germplasm Switchgrass - A Tested Germplasm (133 kb)
Coastal Germplasm Indiangrass - Source Identified Germplasm (190 kb)
Dune Crest Germplasm Coastal Little Bluestem - Source Identified Germplasm (180 kb)

A list of plant and seed vendors is available for download here or from the PMC. Contents of Cape May Plant Material Center Plant Releases - Grower Source List are updated regularly. You'll want to check periodically for updated information. (To avoid viewing cached version of list, you may need to refresh your web browser by clicking on the refresh icon on your browser's toolbar.)

Adobe Acrobat DocumentCape May Plant Materials Center: Plant Releases - Grower/Vendor List (April 28, 2004) (42.2 kb)

Plant Information

Adobe Acrobat DocumentAn Overview of Nonindigenous Plant Species in New Jersey - NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection

Invasive and Exotic Species

"Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping" - Maryland US Fish and Wildlife Service publication, series for Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Mountains

National Invasive Species Council

National Invasive Species Information Center - USDA National Agricultural Library

National Park Service: Weeds Gone Wild, Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas

Native Plant Information Network -

Plant Conservation Alliance

Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - Invasive Species information from the National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Plants Database - The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, plant links, references, crop information, and automated tools. PLANTS reduces costs by minimizing duplication and making information exchange possible across agencies and disciplines. Includes taxonomic and use information for conservation plants. You can search by the plant's common name, scientific name, or symbol.

VegSpec - A web-based decision support system that assists land managers in the planning and design of vegetative establishment practices.

Information on Selected Plants

Beach PlumBeach Plum (Prunus maritima) is native shrub found inhabiting the back dune systems of the Southern New England and Middle Atlantic coast. Its white clustered flowers are bloom along the Jersey shore in early spring. Small plums are ripening now on stiff red stems. This fruit is prized by animals and humans alike and makes a great home landscaping plant.

'Cape' American Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) increases the protective value of sanddunes. The leafy native bunch grass spreads by rhizomes with average heights of 2 to 3 feet. Seed heads appear in late July through August.

The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.
Adobe Acrobat DocumentBeach Plum Fact Sheet (150 kb)
Adobe Acrobat Document'Cape' American Beachgrass (136 kb)
Adobe Acrobat Document'Avalon' Saltmeadow Cordgrass (182 kb)

Technical Information

Carthage switch grassPlant technology developed through the Plant Materials Program is incorporated into various technical publications and presentations. A selection of useful documents are available for download here.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentPlant Materials Used for Biofuel (306 kb) new - Plant Materials Program Fact Sheet, June 2007
Adobe Acrobat DocumentBeachgrass Planting Guide (686 kb) - Provides specific guidance on the installation of American beachgrass
Adobe Acrobat DocumentThe Use of Native Warm Season Grasses for Critical Area Stabilization (36 kb) - Technical paper presented at the Eastern Native Grass Symposium, Baltimore, MD  1999
Adobe Acrobat DocumentFort Dix Range Berm Summary Report (720 kb)

Other Resources

Adobe Acrobat DocumentTechnical Note: Plant Species with Rooting Ability from Live Hardwood Materials for use in Soil Bioengineering Techniques (58 kb) - new This technical note supports NRCS Documents: Engineering Field Manual - Chapters 16 and 18.

Contact: Chris Miller, Regional Plant Materials Specialist

Last Modified: March 25, 2008

 

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