Wetland plants, also known as hydrophytes or hydrophytic vegetation, have adaptations that enable them to grow and reproduce with their roots in water or saturated soil for at least part of the year. In contrast, plants that cannot survive in saturated conditions are commonly referred to as upland plants.
Along with hydric soils and hydrology, the presence of wetland plants is one of the primary factors involved in the identification of wetland areas and the delineation of wetland boundaries. Therefore, the ability to identify wetland plants and distinguish between upland and wetland plant species is an essential step in the wetland delineation process.
Through instructor-led online lectures and virtual tours of various wetland sites, you will learn plant identification principles and study diagnostic characteristics of species frequently encountered by wetland delineators in the Southern New Jersey region. By the end of the course, you will be able to quickly and confidently identify the wetland plant species that are important in determining if an area meets the hydrophytic vegetation criterion for wetland delineation.
NOTE: If you are planning to earn the Wetland Delineation Certificate, we require that you complete the Vegetation Identification and Hydric Soils courses prior to attending Methodology for Delineating Wetlands.
Course Objectives
To provide a review of wetland plant communities of South Jersey, emphasizing their dominant species.
To familiarize students with important diagnostic features used to separate plants into groups for field identification.
To use field guides to identify plants characteristic of freshwater wetlands in South Jersey.
To introduce students to some rare and uncommon plants found in wetlands of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.