Seep Community at White Oak Creek Woods Natural Area, Mason County, Illinois (Report‪)‬

ABSTRACT A series of small seeps were studied at White Oak Creek Woods Natural Area, Mason County, Illinois. The seep community in full sunlight had 23 species present in the plots (n = 30). Apios americana (groundnut) was dominant with a mean cover of 33.88% and an IV of 31.5 (possible 200), followed by Impatiens capensis (spotted touch-me-not), Leersia oryzoides (rice cut grass), Decodon verticillatus (swamp loosestrife), and Saururus cernuus (lizard's-tail) all with IV's 15.0. In the shaded seep, of the 19 species in the plots (n = 30), Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage) was dominant with a mean cover of 39.75% and an IV of 70.2. Impatiens capensis and Saururus cernuus were second and third with IV's of 41.7 and 40.7 respectively, the remaining species being of minor importance. Within the seep complex, a total of 140 vascular plant species representing 110 genera and 57 families were documented. During the present study many more species were found than were reported in an earlier study of the site conducted in 1912.