| Bonamia grandiflora | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Convolvulaceae |
| Genus: | Bonamia |
| Species: | B. grandiflora |
| Binomial name | |
| Bonamia grandiflora | |
Bonamia grandiflora is a rare species of flowering plant in the morning glory family known by the common names Florida lady's nightcap, Florida bonamia, and scrub morning glory. It is endemic to Central Florida, where there are about 100 known populations remaining, many of which are within the bounds of the Ocala National Forest. [1] The plant has declined in recent decades primarily due to the development of its habitat, which is being converted to urban zones and citrus groves. [2] This is the primary reason that the plant was federally listed as a threatened species in 1987. [3]
Convolvulaceae, known commonly as the bindweed or morning glory family, is a family of about 60 genera and more than 1,650 species of mostly herbaceous vines, but also trees, shrubs and herbs, and also including the sweet potato and a few other food tubers.
Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution. An alternative term for a species that is endemic is precinctive, which applies to species that are restricted to a defined geographical area.
Central Florida is a region of the Southern U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Orlando area. It is one of Florida's three directional regions, along with North Florida and South Florida. It includes the following counties: Brevard, Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Manatee, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia.
This native Florida wildflower is a perennial vine which trails along the ground to a maximum length around 3 meters. There is a deep root and multiple underground stems. The hairy stem is lined with leathery, gray-green leaves up to 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a single showy flower borne on a short, erect peduncle. The flower corolla opens in the morning, spreading 7 or 8 centimeters wide and up to 10 centimeters long. It is pale to bright blue-purple with a white throat. At the center of the funnel-shaped corolla are five stamens tipped with yellow anthers. The fruit is a capsule around a centimeter in length containing a few seeds.
A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent stems, lianas or runners. The word vine can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed. The modifications can involve the length and the nature of the internodes and the phyllotaxis, as well as variations in the proportions, compressions, swellings, adnations, connations and reduction of main and secondary axes. Inflorescence can also be defined as the reproductive portion of a plant that bears a cluster of flowers in a specific pattern.
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.
The plant occurs in Florida scrub habitat on deep, dry, white sand in clearings among sand pines (Pinus clausa) and other scrub flora. Other rare plants in the region include highlands scrub hypericum (Hypericum cumulicola), papery whitlow-wort (Paronychia chartacea), scrub plum (Prunus geniculata), and scrub lupine (Lupinus aridorum). [3] It is adapted to the occasional wildfire that naturally occurs in the scrub habitat. Fire clears brush and heavy forest canopy which shade out the morning glory, providing the clearings that it requires. [2] Fire suppression efforts are generally detrimental to the species. [1] [2] Controlled burns and other methods of clearing excessive vegetation are part of the recovery plan. [1] Where the morning glory is provided appropriate habitat, it can become plentiful and even abundant. [2] It has the capacity to introduce itself into newly cleared, sandy plots and take hold vigorously; however, it does not tolerate much disturbance once established. [2]
Florida sand pine scrub is an endangered subtropical forest ecoregion found throughout Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by an evergreen xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrubs and dwarf oaks. Because the low-nutrient sandy soils do not retain moisture, the ecosystem is effectively an arid one. Wildfires infrequently occur in the Florida scrub. Most of the annual rainfall falls in summer. It is endangered by residential, commercial and agricultural development, with the largest remaining block in and around the Ocala National Forest. Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge also holds a high proportion of remaining scrub habitat, while the Archbold Biological Station near Lake Placid contains about 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) of scrub habitat and sponsors biological research on it.
Pinus clausa is a species of pine endemic to the Southeastern United States. Its common names include sand pine, Florida spruce pine, Alabama pine, and scrub pine.
Hypericum cumulicola is a rare species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort genus known by the common name highlands scrub hypericum, or highlands scrub St. John's wort. It is endemic to Florida, where it is threatened by habitat loss and degradation. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
