Erigeron rhizomatus

Last updated

Erigeron rhizomatus
Erigeron rhizomatus lg.jpg
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Erigeron
Species:
E. rhizomatus
Binomial name
Erigeron rhizomatus

Erigeron rhizomatus is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Zuni fleabane and rhizome fleabane. It is native to western New Mexico and eastern Arizona in the United States. [4] It is a federally listed threatened species. [2] [3]

Contents

Erigeron rhizomatus was thought to be a New Mexico endemic until 1999, when some plants were found over the border in Arizona. [1] These are located in the Chuska Mountains on the Navajo Nation, and they occur in 15 populations that make up one metapopulation. [5] The two previously known metapopulations in New Mexico are composed of 24 populations in the Zuni, Datil, and Sawtooth Mountains. [5] These three metapopulations are geographically isolated from each other but are still similar in morphology. [5]

Characteristics

Erigeron rhizomatus is a perennial herb up to 45 cm (18 inches) tall, with a rhizome and large network of clumped, fibrous roots topped with a branching caudex. It produces one or more erect, rough-haired stems up to about 45 centimeters (18 inches) in maximum height. The leaves are lance-shaped near the base of the plant and much narrower and linear in shape toward the top of the stem. The inflorescence is usually a single flower head at the end of the stem with 25–45 white or purple-tinged ray florets each under a centimeter long. These surround many yellow disc florets. [6] [7]

Habitat

Erigeron rhizomatus grows in selenium-rich sandstone substrates that originate in the Baca and Chinle Formations. It occurs in barren outcrops [5] of eroding red or grayish rock that may have slopes of up to 40 degrees. [8] Nearby plants include four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), oneseed juniper (Juniperus monosperma), Colorado pinyon (Pinus edulis), and Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii). [9]

Conservation

When Erigeron rhizomatus was listed for federal protection, it was potentially threatened by uranium mining activity in its habitat. There is probably still uranium in the area, as evidenced by large amounts of selenium in the soil, which often occurs with uranium. If the value of uranium increases and it becomes a target for mining, the activity could threaten the plant's habitat. One population of the plant also occurs in an area with potential for oil exploration activity. These are the only significant threats to the species at this time, but since it is a rare regional endemic known from specific habitat types it will stay on the endangered species list for the time being. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Erigeron eatonii</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron eatonii is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Eaton's fleabane.

<i>Erigeron parishii</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron parishii is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Parish's daisy and Parish's fleabane.

<i>Erigeron peregrinus</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron peregrinus is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name wandering fleabane.

<i>Erigeron reductus</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron reductus is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name lesser California rayless fleabane. It is endemic to California, from Trinity County south as far as Alameda County and El Dorado County.

<i>Erigeron maniopotamicus</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron maniopotamicus is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Mad River fleabane. It is endemic to northwestern California, where it is known from only four locations in Humboldt and Trinity Counties.

<i>Packera franciscana</i> Species of flowering plant

Packera franciscana is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name San Francisco Peaks groundsel, or San Francisco Peaks ragwort. It is endemic to Arizona in the United States, where it is known only from the San Francisco Peaks in Coconino County. It is threatened by recreational activities in its habitat. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Erigeron maguirei</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron maguirei is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Maguire daisy and Maguire's fleabane. It is endemic to Utah in the United States. It is a perennial herb growing up to 28 centimetres tall. It grows from a taproot and a branching caudex. The stems are densely hairy. The inflorescence holds one to five flower heads each with several hairy, glandular phyllaries. The head has up to 20 white, pink-tinged, or pink ray florets 0.6 to 0.8 centimeters long, and many yellow disc florets at the center.

Erigeron heliographis is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Heliograph Peak fleabane. It is endemic to Arizona, where it occurs only in the Pinaleno Mountains in Graham County.

Erigeron hessii is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Hess' fleabane. It is endemic to New Mexico in the United States, where it is known from two locations in the Mogollon Mountains. It is found only in the Gila Wilderness.

Erigeron piscaticus is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Fish Creek fleabane. It is endemic to Arizona in the United States, where it is known from three locations in Maricopa and Graham Counties.

<i>Erigeron eximius</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron eximius is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name spruce-fir fleabane.

<i>Erigeron formosissimus</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron formosissimus is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name beautiful fleabane.

<i>Erigeron flettii</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron flettii is a rare North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Flett's fleabane or Olympic Mountains fleabane .

Erigeron mancus is a rare North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names depauperate fleabane and imperfect fleabane. It has been found only in southeastern Utah.

Erigeron melanocephalus is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name black-headed fleabane. It is found in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, in the states of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

Erigeron oxyphyllus is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name wand fleabane. It is native to northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Erigeron pulcherrimus is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name basin fleabane. The species grows in the western United States in the eastern part of the Intermountain Region west of the Rocky Mountains. It has been found in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Erigeron rybius is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Sacramento Mountain fleabane and royal fleabane. It is native to the western Texas and south-central New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The common name alludes to the Sacramento Mountains just east of Alamogordo in New Mexico.

Erigeron ursinus is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Bear River fleabane. It is native to the western United States, from Montana and Idaho south as far as Arizona and New Mexico.

Erigeron vreelandii is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names sticky tall fleabane and Vreeland's erigeron. It grows in northwestern Mexico and in the southwestern United States.

References

  1. 1 2 Erigeron rhizomatus. The Nature Conservancy.
  2. 1 2 "Zuni fleabane (Erigeron rhizomatus)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 50 FR 16680
  4. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 United States Fish & Wildlife Service. Erigeron rhizomatus Five-year Review. September 2007.
  6. ↑ Erigeron rhizomatus. Flora of North America.
  7. ↑ Erigeron rhizomatus. New Mexico Rare Plant List.
  8. ↑ USFWS. Erigeron rhizomatus. FWS Redbook.
  9. ↑ Erigeron rhizomatus. Arizona Game & Fish Department.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.