A rare plant first discovered decades ago in Maryland’s Eastern Shore wetlands is now being recognized as a species found in only a handful of places worldwide.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday released its updated 2026 Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants of Maryland list, highlighting the Mid-Atlantic beaksedge, a grasslike plant recently identified as a newly classified species.
Botanists first found the plant on the Eastern Shore in the 1980s, but at the time believed it was a different species. Advances in genetic research later revealed the sedge was actually a previously undocumented species now known as the Mid-Atlantic beaksedge.
Officials say the plant is considered globally critically imperiled and is known to exist only in Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey.
The updated state list includes hundreds of revisions and additions tied to Maryland’s rare plant populations, including eight newly added species and updated conservation rankings.
The report also notes the rediscovery of the wood lily in Allegany County after the flower had not been documented in Maryland for 118 years.
State botanist Christopher Frye said the updated list reflects the department’s continued effort to preserve Maryland’s natural heritage and track vulnerable plant species across the state.
The updated Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants of Maryland list is now available through the Department of Natural Resources website.
