Alternative Text Description for American Chaffseed (Endangered)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays the known range of the American Chaffseed, an endangered plant species, as documented by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for the State of Florida. The map shows specific geographic areas where this endangered species is understood to occur, represented by pink crosshatched polygons. The map focuses on the Florida Panhandle region and adjacent areas of Alabama, with particular emphasis on the border region between these two states.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers the Florida Panhandle and portions of southern Alabama, extending from the Gulf of America coastline northward. Major cities visible include Montgomery, Alabama in the northern portion, and Panama City and Tallahassee, Florida in the southern portion. Other labeled communities include Pensacola and Ferry Pass along the coast, Columbus and Auburn in the eastern area, and Enterprise and Dothan in the central region. The Gulf of America forms the southern boundary of the mapped area, with its characteristic coastal features including bays and barrier islands visible along the shoreline.

KEY INSIGHTS

The American Chaffseed occurrence areas are highly localized and limited in extent within the mapped region. The species' range consists of a small number of discrete polygonal areas concentrated along the Alabama-Florida border. The largest contiguous area extends horizontally across the state boundary in the central portion of the map, approximately aligned with the Dothan area. Two smaller isolated patches appear to the west and east of this main concentration. The extremely limited geographic distribution visible on this map underscores the endangered status of this species, showing minimal total area of occurrence across the entire mapped region.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

American Chaffseed (Endangered)

This layer represents the polygonal boundaries of areas where the American Chaffseed species occurs according to United States Fish and Wildlife Service documentation.

Occurrence Areas (pink crosshatched polygons)

Appearance:

Pink or rose-colored polygons filled with a diagonal crosshatch pattern, creating a mesh-like appearance that distinguishes these areas from the light gray base map.

Distribution:

The occurrence areas are concentrated along the Alabama-Florida state boundary in the central-eastern portion of the Florida Panhandle region.

Notable locations:

The primary concentration area is located in the vicinity of the Alabama-Florida border, roughly aligned with Dothan, Alabama. A western patch appears near the far western edge of the Florida Panhandle, and an eastern patch is visible further east along the border region. A very small isolated occurrence area appears east of Tallahassee.

Spatial patterns:

The distribution pattern is fragmented and discontinuous, with isolated patches separated by substantial distances. The largest polygon forms a roughly rectangular shape extending across the state boundary. The limited number and small size of these polygons indicate a severely restricted range for this endangered species.

Overlapping Patterns

The occurrence areas exist within a landscape context of state boundaries, cities, and the Gulf of America coastline, though no direct overlapping patterns with other thematic features are visible in this single-layer map.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map represents a single thematic layer extracted from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service species data for Florida. The layer shows only the American Chaffseed occurrence areas and does not display other endangered species or habitat information that may exist in the broader dataset. The extremely limited extent of the mapped polygons reflects the critically restricted range of this endangered plant species. Base map features including cities, state boundaries, and water bodies are shown for geographic reference but are not part of the thematic data layer.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

United States Fish and Wildlife Service polygonal boundaries for species as understood by the agency for the State of Florida. The dataset identifier is CR_USFWS_POLY_JUN26.

Definition Query:

The map displays a filtered subset of the species data where the common name equals "AMERICAN CHAFFSEED" (COMNAME = 'AMERICAN CHAFFSEED'). This query isolates only the occurrence areas for this specific endangered species from the broader species boundary dataset.

Scale Information:

The map is displayed at a regional scale appropriate for viewing species occurrence across multiple counties and state boundaries. This scale level shows the general distribution pattern of the species but may not reveal fine-scale habitat details within individual occurrence polygons.

Coordinate System:

NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Limitations:

The boundaries represent species occurrence areas as understood by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and may not capture all locations where the species exists or has existed. The polygonal boundaries indicate areas of known occurrence but do not necessarily mean the species is uniformly distributed throughout each polygon. Actual habitat may be more fragmented or localized within the mapped boundaries.

Map Coverage:

The map extends from the Alabama-Florida border region southward to the Gulf of America coast, covering the Florida Panhandle and portions of southern Alabama. The mapped area includes Montgomery, Alabama in the north and extends eastward to the Georgia border area, with Tallahassee, Florida marking the eastern portion of the primary focus area.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.