Assunpink Wildlife Management Area
Windsor, Washington Township,
Mercer County, NJ
Directions:
NJ Tpk to Exit 8; turn west on Route 33 and go 1.0 mile to the light in Hightstown; bear left immediately on Route 539 south; drive 4.5 miles to Herbert Road; go east (left) 2.0 mile to Imlaystown Road; turn north (left) and drive 1.3 miles to the parking area on the shore of Lake Assunpink.
(For maps see: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/wmaland.htm)
Where the creek borders Monmouth County east of Trenton. The road can be reached by taking Highway 130 south from Hightstown and turning left (east) on the road that goes from Windsor to New Sharon. Follow this road until it crosses the NJ Turnpike and shortly thereafter it intersects on the left (north) Allens Road. From this intersection north the swamp forest borders both sides of Allens Road. (Collins and Anderson)
A road bisects the swamp forest and from it can be seen large and abundant sweetgum, red maple and pin oak trees with some hickory, white oak, black oak, and black gum.
History:
Assunpink means Assan, "stone", pe, "water" and ink, "place."
1695 and 1696 -- Daniel Robins bought land totaling 810 contiguous acres to the east of Imlaystown-Hightstown Road, and including what is now Stone Tavern Lake.
1697 -- Thomas Fox purchased land now known as Pine Drive in Roosevelt that now encompasses a portion of Chestnut Brook within the Assunpink area.
1706 -- Assunpink Lake now covers of a parcel of about 1,230 acres purchased by Zebulon Clayton.
1710 -- Benjamin Lawrence purchased the area closest to Old York Road (Route 539) consisting of 1,150 acres.
1720 -- "Debora Lincon (sp.)," the daughter of Abraham Lincoln’s great-great- grandparents, died as a young child and is buried in the "Robbins Burying Ground."
by 1873 -- the Hutchinson, Hendrickson and Norton families owned the land of Zebulon Clayton.
by 1873 -- the area around what is now Stone Tavern Lake belonged to various members of the Hutchinson family, the Hendricksons and J. West.
between 1873 and 1889 -- the land near Old York Road, belonging to J.D. Hall, continued to be owned by members of the Hall family, and the plot of land earlier recorded as belonging to Thomas Fox became home to members of the Polhemus family, as well other families.
1889 -- maps show that the Hutchinson families and the Robbins family continued to live in the area.
By 1889 -- the Polhemus family owned land in the area around what is now Stone Tavern Lake.
1960s -- land acquired through the state’s Green Acres Program. The creek was dammed at several locations to provide flood control.
(Source: Ruth Calia Stives, Staff Writer, "When the Assunpink was known as
the Assanpink,"
Front Page August 2, 2001,
http://examiner.gmnews.com/News/2001/0802/Front_Page/005.html)
Trails:
Central New Jersey Greenway -- the greenway will go from Trenton to the Atlantic coast across Central New Jersey through Manasquan, Allaire State Park, Manasquan River Reservoir, Turkey Swamp County Park, Turkey Swamp Wildlife Management Area, Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, Mercer County Park, the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, to the historic City of Trenton. (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/greenacres/currentstate.htm)
PLANT LIST:
Linda Kelly, Dr. Patrick L. Cooney, Dr. William F. Standaert,
Torrey Botanical Society
Trees:
Acer negundo (box elder maple)
Acer platanoides (red form of Norway maple) planted
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Albizia julibrissin (silk tree) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Betula lenta (black birch)
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Carya tomentosa (mockernut hickory)
Castanea dentata (American chestnut)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Magnolia virginiana (sweetbay magnolia)
Nyssa sylvatica (tupelo)
Pinus echinata or virginiana? (shortleaf pine or Virginia pine)
Pinus nigra (Austrian pine)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Populus deltoides (cottonwood)
Prunus avium (sweet cherry)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus prinus (chestnut oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Rhus copallina (winged sumac)
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Salix nigra (black willow)
Salix sp. (willow)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus americana (American elm)
Shrubs:
Alnus serrulata (smooth alder)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Chimaphila maculata (striped wintergreen)
Clethra alnifolia (sweet pepperbush) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Cornus alternifolia (alternate-leaved dogwood)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Epigaea repens (trailing arbutus)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Gaylussacia baccata (black huckleberry)
Gaylussacia frondosa (blue huckleberry)
Ilex verticillata (winterberry holly)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Lindera benzoin (spice bush)
Rhododendron viscosum (swamp azalea)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rosa palustris (swamp rose) 7/22/00
Rubus alleghaniensis (common blackberry)
Rubus laciniatus (blackberry)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry)
Spiraea tomentosa (steeplebush) 7/22/00
Toxicodendron vernix (poison sumac)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Vaccinium sp. (a low bush blueberry)
Viburnum dentatum var. lucidum (arrowwood viburnum)
Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw viburnum)
Vines:
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelain berry)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Apios americana (groundnut) 7/31/98
Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed) 7/22/00
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Clematis terniflora (sweet autumn clematis)
Cuscuta sp. (dodder)
Dioscorea villosa (wild yam root)
Humulus lupulus (common hops)
Ipomoea hederacea (ivy-leaved morning glory) 7/22/00
Ipomoea pandurata (wild potato vine) 7/22/00
Lathyrus latifolius (everlasting pea) 7/22/00
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Mikania scandens (climbing hempweed) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Smilax glauca (sawbrier)
Smilax herbacea var. puverentula (carrion flower variety)
Smilax rotundifolia (round-leaved greenbrier)
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis aestivalis (summer grape)
Vitis labrusca (fox grape)
Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (yarrow) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed)
Apocynum cannabinum (Indian hemp) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla) 7/22/00
Arctium sp. (burdock)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) 7/22/00
Asparagus officinalis (asparagus)
Baptisia australis (blue false indigo)
Baptisia tinctoria (wild indigo) 7/22/00
Bidens spp. (beggar ticks)
Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Brasenia schreberi (water shield) 7/31/98
Cabomba caroliniana (fanwort) 7/31/98
Callitriche palustris (water starwort)
Cannabis sativa ssp. indica (marijuana)
Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Ceratophyllum demersum (coontail)
Chenopodium album (lamb's quarter)
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy) 7/31/98
Cichorium intybus (chicory) 7/31/98
Cicuta maculata (common water hemlock) 7/22/00
Circaea lutetiana (enchanter's nightshade) 7/22/00
Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) 7/31/98
Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle) 7/22/00
Commelina communis (Asiatic dayflower) 7/31/98
Conyza canadensis (horseweed)
Coronilla varia (crown vetch) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) 7/31/98
Desmodium glabellum (Dillen's tick trefoil)?
Desmodium glutinosum (pointed-leaved tick trefoil) 7/31/98
Desmodium nudiflorum (naked-flower tick trefoil) 7/31/98
Desmodium paniculatum (panicled tick trefoil)
Desmodium sp. (tick trefoil)
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pick) 7/22/00
Diodia teres (buttonweed) 7/22/00
Elatine minima (small waterwort)
Elodea nuttallii (water weed)
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pilewort)
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane) 7/22/00
Erigeron strigosus (lesser fleabane) 7/22/00
Eupatorium album (white boneset) 7/22/00
Eupatorium dubium (eastern joe-pye-weed) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Eupatorium rotundifolium var. ovatum (round-leaved boneset)
Eupatorium hyssopifolium (hyssop-leaved boneset) 7/22/00 7/31/98 soon
Eupatorium maculatum (eastern joe-pye-weed) 7/22/00 soon
Eupatorium sp. (joe-pye-weed) 7/31/98
Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge)
Euphorbia maculata (spotted spurge) 7/31/98
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod) 7/31/98
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Galium asprellum (rough bedstraw) 7/31/98
Galium mollugo (wild madder) 7/22/00
Galium tinctorium (Clayton's bedstraw) 7/22/00
Geum canadense (white avens) 7/22/00
Geum laciniatum (rough avens) 7/22/00
Glechoma hederacea (gill-over-the-ground)
Glossostigma diandrum (mud mat)
Helianthemum canadense (frostweed)
Hemerocallis fulva (tawny day lily) 7/22/00
Heteranthera reniformis (mud plantain) 7/31/98
Hypericum mutilum (dwarf St. Johnswort) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Hypericum punctatum (spotted St. Johnswort) 7/22/00
Hypochoeris radicata (cat's foot) 7/22/00
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed) 7/22/00
Lactuca canadensis (wild lettuce) 7/22/00
Lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Lepidium virginicum (wild pepper grass)
Lespedeza cuneata (Chinese bush clover)
Lespedeza striata (Japanese bush clover)
Lilium superbum (Turk cap's lily) 7/22/00
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Lindernia dubia (false pimpernel) 7/31/98
Linum virginianum (flax)
Lobelia inflata (Indian tobacco) 7/22/00
Lotus corniculatus (birdfoot trefoil) 7/22/00
Ludwigia alternifolia (seedbox) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Ludwigia palustris (marsh purslane)
Lycopus americanus (American water horehound) 7/22/00
Lycopus virginicus (Virginia water horehound)
Lycopus uniflorus (northern bugleweed) 7/31/98
Lycopus virginicus (Virginia bugleweed) 7/22/00
Lysimachia nummularia (moneywort)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) 7/31/98
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Medicago lupulina (black medick) 7/22/00
Melampyrum lineare (cowwheat) 7/22/00
Melilotus alba (white sweet clover) 7/22/00
Melilotus officinalis (yellow sweet clover) 7/22/00
Mimulus ringens (monkey flower)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Mollugo verticillata (carpetweed) 7/22/00
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Monotropa uniflora (Indian pipe)
Nuphar advena (southern pond lily) 7/22/00
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) 7/22/00
Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel) 7/22/00
Pastinaca sativa (wild parsnip) 7/22/00
Peltandra virginica (arrow arum)
Penstemon digitalis (beard tongue)
Phlox paniculata (garden phlox) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed) 7/22/00
Plantago aristata (bracted plantain) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Plantago rugelii (plantain) 7/22/00 near
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum arenastrum (knotweed) 7/22/00
Polygonum arifolium (halberd-leaved tearthumb)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose knotweed) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Polygonum hydropiperoides (mild water pepper) 7/22/00
Polygonum pensylvanicum (Pennsylvania smartweed) 7/22/00
Polygonum persicaria (lady's thumb) 7/22/00
Polygonum punctatum (smartweed) 7/22/00
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tearthumb) 7/22/00
Polygonum scandens (climbing bindweed) 7/22/00
Polygonum sp. (knotweed)
Potamogeton spirilis (northern snailseed pond weed)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint) 7/31/98
Ranunculus acris (tall buttercup) 7/22/00
Ranunculus bulbosus (bulbous buttercup) 7/22/00
Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black eyed Susan) 7/22/00
Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel) 7/22/00
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad-leaved dock)
Sagittaria latifolia (broad-leaved arrowhead)
Saponaria officinalis (bouncing bet) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Scutellaria gallericulata (marsh skullcap) 7/31/98
Scutellaria lateriflora (maddog skullcap) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Silene latifolia (white campion) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Silene vulgaris (bladder campion)
Sisyrinchium sp. (blue-eyed grass) 7/22/00
Sium suave (water parsnip) 7/31/98
Solanum carolinense (horse nettle) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod)
Solidago gigantea (smooth goldenrod)
Solidago juncea (early goldenrod)
Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod)
Solidago rugosa (rough-stemmed goldenrod)
Sparganium sp. (burreed)
Spirodela polyrhiza (greater duckweed)
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)
Tanacetum vulgare (common tansy) 7/22/00
Taraxacum offinale (common dandelion)
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue) 7/22/00
Tragopogon pratensis (goat's beard)
Triadenum virginicum (marsh st. johnswort) 7/31/98 soon
Trifolium arvense (rabbit foot clover) 7/22/00
Trifolium pratense (red clover) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Trifolium repens (white clover) 7/22/00
Triodanis perfoliata (Venus looking glass)
Typha latifolia (broad-leaved cattail)
Utricularia purpurea (purple bladderwort)
Utricularia sp. (bladderwort)
Verbascum blattaria (moth mullein) 7/22/00 waning
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein) 7/22/00 7/31/98
Verbena hastata (blue vervain) 7/22/00
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) 7/22/00
Vernonia noveboracensis (New York ironweed)
Viola sp. (violet)
Wolffia sp. (water meal)
Xanthium sp. (clotbur)
Rushes and Sedges:
Carex albolutescens (sedge)
Carex intumescens (sedge)
Carex lurida (sedge)
Carex scoparia (sedge)
Carex vulpinoidea var. ambigua (sedge)
Carex vulpinoidea var. vulpinoidea (sedge)
Cyperus flavescens (flat sedge)
Cyperus strigosus (umbrella sedge)
Dulichium arundinaceum (three-way sedge)
Eleocharis acicularis (spikerush)
Eleocharis ovata (blunt spikerush)
Eleocharis palustris (spikerush)
Juncus acuminatus (sharp rush)
Juncus biflorus
Juncus effusus (soft rush)
Juncus marginatus
Juncus tenuis (path rush)
Rhynchospora capitellata (small-headed beak rush)
Scirpus atrovirens (dark-green bulrush)
Scirpus cyperinus (woolly grass bulrush)
Grasses:
Agrostis gigantea (red top grass)
Andropogon virginicus var. abbreviatus
Arrhenatherum elatius (tall oat grass)
Arthraxon hispidus (arthraxon)
Bromus inermis (smooth brome grass)
Bromus japonicus (Japanese brome grass)
Bromus tectorum (downy chess brome grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Danthonia spicata (poverty oatgrass)
Digitaria ciliaris (southern crab grass)
Eleusine indica (zipper grass)
Elytrigia repens (quack grass)
Eragrostis curvula (weeping love grass)
Eragrostis pilosa
Festuca pratensis (meadow fescue grass)
Glyceria striata (mannagrass)
Holcus lanatus (velvet grass)
Leersia oryzoides (rice cutgrass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Panicum amarulum (panic grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Panicum scoparium (velvet panic grass)
Paspalum laeve (bead grass)
Paspalum setaceum var. muhlenbergii (bead grass)
Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass)
Phleum pratense (timothy grass) 7/31/98
Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)
Poa compressa (Canada bluegrass)
Poa pratense (Kentucky bluegrass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria viridis (green foxtail grass)
Ferns and Fern Allies:
Asplenium platyneuron (ebony spleenwort)
Dennstaedtia punctilobula (hay-scented fern)
Lycopodium digitatum (southern running pine)
Lycopodium obscurum (flat-branched tree clubmoss)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)
Osmunda regalis (royal fern)
Pteridium aquilinum (bracken fern)
Woodwardia areolata (netted chain fern)
Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana) and Hoary Plantain (Plantago virginica) found here.
Source: Guy Tudor. Now You See It, Now You Don't: A selected list of New York and New Jersey wildflowers and flowerings shrubs not covered in the standard regional guides. The Linnaean News Letter. Volume 59, Number 3, May 2005.