Invasion

Invasion Description

In the Chesapeake region and southward to Cape Hatteras, A. nodosum occurrences appear to consist both of naturally dispersed unattached plants, carried by the currents southward along the Atlantic coast (Humm 1979), and plants dispersed by human activities (Orris 1980; Searles 1997). . ' A. nodosum has been found in the Bay but the meaning of its presence in the upper Bay is a subject for speculation and controversy. There are a dozen or more specimens in the herbarium (MARY) (=University of Maryland) or mentioned by Zaneveld and Willis (1976). These probably represent bait-packing material thrown overboard by fishermen rather than an endemic population ofA. nodosumin the upper Bay' (Orris 1980).

Geographic Extent

Cape Cod/MA-Cape Hatteras/Atlantic Ocean (South and Tittley 1986) Introduced, establishment unknown: Baltimore County/MD/Chesapeake Bay (1960, drifting Zaneveld and Willis 1976); Sandy Point State Park (Anne Arundel County)/MD/Chesapeake Bay , (1955, drifting, Zaneveld and Willis 1976); MD/Patuxent River estuary, drifting (Anderson et al. 1968).