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Identification, delineation and mitigation |
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Wetland delineation |
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Hydrophytic plant classifications |
page 3 of 3 |
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Plant species in the United States have been classified
according to their wetland indicator status, which reflects
their frequency of occurrence in wetlands under natural
conditions. The five indicator-status categories are: |
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Indicator
Category |
Indicator
Symbol
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Definition |
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Obligate Wetland Plants |
OBL |
Plants that occur almost always (estimated probability >99%)
in wetlands under natural conditions, but which may also
occur rarely (estimated probability <1%) in non-wetlands.
Examples: smooth cordgrass, bald cypress
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Facultative Wetland Plants |
FACW |
Plants that occur usually (estimated probability >67% to
99%) in wetlands, but also occur (estimated probability 1%
to 33% in non-wetlands). Examples: green ash,
Red-osier dogwood
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Facultative Plants |
FAC |
Plants with a similar likelihood (estimated probability 33%
to 67%) of occurring in both wetlands and non-wetlands.
Examples: honey locust, common greenbrier
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Facultative Upland Plants |
FACU |
Plants that occur sometimes (estimated probability 1% to
<33%) in wetlands, but occur more often (estimated
probability >67% to 99%) in non-wetlands. Examples: red
oak, tall cinquefoil
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Obligate Upland Plants |
UPL |
Plants that occur rarely (estimated probability <1%) in
wetlands, but occur almost always (estimated probability
>99%) in wetlands under natural conditions. Examples:
shortleaf pine, soft brome
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The facultative categories may have
modifiers of plus (+) or minus (-), respectively, to indicate a
species’ affinity for the wetter or drier ends of its category.
A community is
hydrophytic
if more than 50% of dominant species (all species combined into one
list) are OBL, FACW, or FAC. Species rated FAC- do not count in this
tally. Instead, they are counted among the FACU and UPL plants.
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