Conradina

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Conradina
False Rosemary.jpg
False rosemary (Conradina canescens). Note hairs on flower calyxes.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Subfamily: Nepetoideae
Tribe: Mentheae
Genus: Conradina
Asa Gray
Type species
Conradina canescens

Conradina is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. [1] Its common name is false rosemary, or rarely, short leaf rosemary. There are 7 species of Conradina, all native to the southeastern United States. [2] Conradina verticillata grows on the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee. [3] The other five grow mainly in Florida. All of the species are closely related and there is some doubt about whether they are all separate. [2] Most species occupy xeric habitats with well-drained soils composed of white sand. The genus Conradina was established by Asa Gray in 1870. [4] It was named for the American botanist Solomon White Conrad. [5]

Contents

False rosemary is adapted to dunes and open, scrubby areas. It is a woody perennial shrub, often with masses of white to lavender blooms in the early spring or fall. These blooms attract several species of bees. Conradina often has a scrubby appearance; however some plants seem to have a denser habitus. Conradina is found growing in association with sand pines and oaks, and may be a pioneer species in disturbed areas. Terpenes released from false rosemary are allelopathic, and suppresses the growth of grasses. This is thought to help prevent wildfires. The plants are commonly up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in height.

False rosemary has been suggested as a landscaping plant for xeriscaping because it is drought tolerant and grows well with little water, even in poor soils.

False rosemary has flowers and scent similar to those of Rosmarinus officinalis .

Until recently, limited scientific study had been published on culinary, medicinal or other properties of Conradina, but it has been shown to be a potential source for numerous essential oils and other compounds. [6]

Apart from Conradina verticillata , which is a triploid, [7] all of the species of Conradina are diploid and have a haploid chromosome number of 12. Conradina has been the subject of genetic research. [8]

Field of false rosemary Conradina in field Carrabelle.jpg
Field of false rosemary

Species

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Conradina brevifolia.jpg Conradina brevifolia Shortleaf false rosemaryThis species grows in Polk and Highlands counties on the Lake Wales Ridge in Central peninsular Florida. It is listed as a federally endangered species.
Conradina canescens.jpg Conradina canescens False rosemaryThis species is found along the gulf coast of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as in the sand hills of central Florida. [3] It is the most common and widespread species in the genus.
Conradina cygniflora Described in 2009, known only from Putnam County, Florida.
Conradina etonia.jpg Conradina etonia Etonia rosemaryVerified in only Putnam County, Florida. A federally endangered species.
Conradina glabra.jpg Conradina glabra Apalacicola false rosemaryFound only in Liberty county, Florida. Listed as a federally endangered species.
Largeflower false rosemary (Conradina grandiflora) (8224712105).jpg Conradina grandiflora Largeflower false rosemaryThis species grows in counties along the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is listed as a threatened species in the state of Florida.
Conradina verticillata.jpg Conradina verticillata Cumberland false rosemaryListed as federally threatened, this species occupies the sandy soil of cobble bars along rivers of the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Affinities

Conradina is one of the southeastern scrub mints. This group consists of Dicerandra , Stachydeoma , Piloblephis , Conradina, and four species of the polyphyletic genus Clinopodium that will eventually be transferred out of that genus. All are shrubs except Dicerandra. They are indigenous to the southeastern United States. Conradina is distinguished from the others by a sharply bent corolla tube. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants that includes sage and mint

The Lamiaceae or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, hyssop, thyme, lavender, and perilla, as well as other medicinal herbs such as catnip, salvia, bee balm, wild dagga, and oriental motherwort. Some species are shrubs, trees, or, rarely, vines. Many members of the family are widely cultivated, not only for their aromatic qualities, but also their ease of cultivation, since they are readily propagated by stem cuttings. Besides those grown for their edible leaves, some are grown for decorative foliage. Others are grown for seed, such as Salvia hispanica (chia), or for their edible tubers, such as Plectranthus edulis, Plectranthus esculentus, Plectranthus rotundifolius, and Stachys affinis. Many are also grown ornamentally, notably coleus, Plectranthus, and many Salvia species and hybrids.

<i>Mentha</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae

Mentha is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae. The exact distinction between species is unclear; it is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist. Hybridization occurs naturally where some species' ranges overlap. Many hybrids and cultivars are known.

<i>Stachys</i> Genus of plants in the sage family

Stachys is a genus of plants, one of the largest in the mint family Lamiaceae. Estimates of the number of species vary from about 300, to about 450. Stachys is in the subfamily Lamioideae and its type species is Stachys sylvatica. The precise extent of the genus and its relationship to other genera in the subfamily are poorly known.

<i>Vitex</i> Genus of flowering plants in the sage family Lamiaceae

Vitex is a genus of flowering plants in the sage family Verbenaceae. It has about 250 species. Common names include chaste tree or chastetree, traditionally referring to V. agnus-castus, but often applied to other species, as well.

<i>Collinsonia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Collinsonia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to East Asia and eastern North America. It was named for the English botanist Peter Collinson (1694–1768) by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753. It is in the tribe Elsholtzieae, a small tribe of only 5 genera. In order of their number of species, they are Elsholtzia, Mosla, Collinsonia, Perilla, and Perillula.

Hartwrightia is a genus of North American flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae of the family Asteraceae. The genus contains a single species, Hartwrightia floridana, native to the US states of Georgia and Florida. The species is sometimes referred to by the common name Florida hartwrightia.

<i>Pycnanthemum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Pycnanthemum is a genus of herbaceous plants in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Species in this genus are often referred to as "mountain mints" and they often have a minty or thyme-like aroma when crushed. All species of Pycnanthemum are native to the United States and Canada. The center of diversity for the genus is North Carolina with 13 of the 20 species having been collected therein. Nineteen of the 20 species of Pycnanthemum occur in the Eastern US and Canada, and one disjunct species occurs in California and Oregon.

<i>Conradina brevifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Conradina brevifolia is a rare species of shrub in the mint family known by the common name short-leaved false rosemary. It is endemic to Central Florida, where it is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge. There are perhaps 36 occurrences of the plant remaining, and 10 of these are likely to be destroyed as their habitat is fragmented in the coming years. About 15% of the Lake Wales Ridge, the only home territory of the plant, remains today, the rest having been cleared for development and citrus groves. Few of the extant populations have more than 25 plants. This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Conradina etonia</i> Species of flowering plant

Conradina etonia is a rare species of shrub in the mint family known by the common name Etonia rosemary. It is endemic to Putnam County, Florida, where it is known from about 8 populations on Etoniah Creek State Forest containing fewer than 1000 total individuals. It has a specific habitat requirement and the main threat it faces is destruction and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Conradina glabra</i> Species of flowering plant

Conradina glabra is a rare species of shrub known by the common names Apalachicola rosemary or Apalachicola false rosemary. It is endemic to Liberty County, Florida, where it is known from about ten populations. It is found only in a small area and it is threatened by habitat destruction. It is a federally listed endangered species.

<i>Conradina verticillata</i> Species of flowering plant

Conradina verticillata is a flowering shrub in the mint family, found in the Cumberland Plateau. It is also called Conradina montana, Cumberland rosemary or Cumberland false rosemary. It has been classified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1991.

Dicerandra cornutissima is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name longspurred mint, longspurred balm, and Robin's mint. It is endemic to Florida in the United States. It is found in Marion County, and possibly Sumter County, but it may have been totally extirpated from the latter. There are 15 known occurrences remaining. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species in 1985.

<i>Dicerandra frutescens</i> Species of plant

Dicerandra frutescens is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names scrub mint and scrub balm. It is endemic to Highlands County, Florida, where it is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge. Its habitat is quickly being lost as it is converted to residential and agricultural use. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1985.

<i>Dicerandra</i> Genus of flowering plants

Dicerandra is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family. Dicerandra comprises 11 species: six perennial and five annual species. The perennials have narrow ranges in Central Florida with small population sizes and only occur on ancient dune ridges along the Lake Wales Ridge or the Atlantic coastal ridge; the annual species occur more broadly on sandhill habitats to the north. The perennials’ habitat has been severely fragmented due to human development over the past century. As a result, all perennial species except one are listed as federally endangered. Annual species of the clade have large ranges when compared to perennial members, with distributions of annuals ranging for hundreds of miles from the Panhandle of Florida to southeastern Georgia, with the exception of Dicerandra radfordiana which is endemic to two sites along the Altamaha river. The genus is characterized by hornlike spurs on their anthers.

<i>Grubbia</i> Genus of plants

Grubbia is a genus of flowering plants. It is the sole genus in the family Grubbiaceae. The genus has three species, all endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. They are shrubs that grow to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall, with tiny flowers and slender, leathery leaves. The fruit is a syncarp.

<i>Conradina grandiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Conradina grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name largeflower false rosemary, or large-flowered rosemary. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it occurs on the Atlantic coastal ridge. Its distribution spans Brevard, Broward, Dade, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Lucie, and Volusia Counties.

Dicerandra densiflora, the Florida balm, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names scrub mint and scrub balm. It is native to North Central Florida, where it occurs along sand hill habitats. It is a member of the annual subclade of Dicerandra. D. densiflora grows up to 2 ft (61 cm) tall. Flower petals are lavender to purple in color with dark spots.

Dicerandra odoratissima, commonly known as the rose balm, is a species of Dicerandra native to the Southeastern Coastal Plain, with a geographic range that extends from eastern Georgia to southern South Carolina. Kral (1982) originally suggested that this species was so distinct from the remaining members of the genus that it should be placed in a separate section or a distinct genus. Today, D. odoratissima and its close relative D. radfordiana are members of the Lecontea clade.

<i>Conradina canescens</i> Species of flowering plant

Conradina canescens, commonly called false rosemary, is a shrub in the mint family. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it is restricted to coastal areas of Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi. Its natural habitat is sandhills, coastal scrub, and flatwoods.

References

  1. Raymond M. Harley, Sandy Atkins, Andrey L. Budantsev, Philip D. Cantino, Barry J. Conn, Renée J. Grayer, Madeline M. Harley, Rogier P.J. de Kok, Tatyana V. Krestovskaja, Ramón Morales, Alan J. Paton, and P. Olof Ryding. 2004. "Labiatae" pages 167-275. In: Klaus Kubitzki (editor) and Joachim W. Kadereit (volume editor). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants volume VII. Springer-Verlag: Berlin; Heidelberg, Germany. ISBN   978-3-540-40593-1
  2. 1 2 Christine E. Edwards, Walter S. Judd, Gretchen M. Ionta, and Brenda Herring. 2009. "Using Population Genetic Data as a Tool to Identify New Species: Conradina cygniflora (Lamiaceae), a New, Endangered Species from Florida". Systematic Botany34(4):747-759.
  3. 1 2 Alan S. Weakley. "Conradina" pages 745-746. In: Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia (title varying with update). (see External links below).
  4. Asa Gray. 1870. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences8:294.
  5. Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names volume I. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington, DC;, USA. London, UK. ISBN   978-0-8493-2675-2 (vol. I). (see External links below).
  6. Brian P. Quinn, Ulrich R. Bernier, and Matthew M. Booth. 2007. "Identification of compounds from Etonia rosemary (Conradina etonia)". Journal of Chromatography A1160(2007):306–310. (see External links below).
  7. USFWS. Conradina verticillata (Cumberland Rosemary) determined to be threatened. Federal Register November 29, 1991.
  8. Home Page of Christine E. Edwards. (see External links below).
  9. Christine E. Edwards, David Lefkowitz, Douglas E. Soltis, and Pamela S. Soltis. 2008. "Phylogeny of Conradina and related southeastern scrub mints (Lamiaceae) based on GapC Gene Sequences". International Journal of Plant Sciences169(4):579-594. doi : 10.1086/528758

Sources

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Conradina at Wikimedia Commons