Erythronium propullans

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Erythronium propullans
ErythroniumPropullans.jpg
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Subfamily: Lilioideae
Tribe: Lilieae
Genus: Erythronium
Species:
E. propullans
Binomial name
Erythronium propullans

Erythronium propullans, the Minnesota dwarf trout lily, Minnesota adder's tongue or Minnesota fawnlily, is a rare plant endemic to the Cannon River and North Fork Zumbro River watersheds in Rice County, Goodhue County and the extreme northern edge of Steele County, Minnesota, [1] in the United States. The plants are believed to be a mutation or sport of the white trout lily ( Erythronium albidum ) and evolved following the most recent ice age.

Contents

The plants' flower in the spring at the same time as Hepaticas, Dutchman's breeches, bloodroot, and other spring wildflowers. Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park, River Bend Nature Center, and several tracts owned by The Nature Conservancy protect portions of its habitat.

Description

Erythronium propullans is a perennial growing from a small bulb. It has smaller flowers than E. albidum, often only 1 cm long with a pinkish tint to them. [2] The fruits are also smaller than those of E. albidum, with the mature fruits nodding. [2] Offshoots are produced by flowering plants grow from the stem above the bulbs unlike E. albidum which are produced from the bulbs. [2] Erythronium propullans produces one stolon below the soil surface on the midway point of the stem on blooming plants; that stolon then produces a new bulb. On non-blooming plants, 1 to 3 stolons are produced directly from the bulbs, each ending in a new clone. [3]

Habitat

Erythronium propullans is found only in two counties in Minnesota (the only strictly endemic plant species in the state.) It is typically a woodland species most commonly found on north-facing slopes above or near streambeds. [2] It is found in areas with dense shade in the summer, but completes its growing period early in the year before trees are fully leafed out. [2]

Discovery

The lily was first noted by Mary Hodges, a high school science instructor at St. Mary's School (now Shattuck-St. Mary's) in Faribault, Minnesota, and then formally listed as a new species by botanist Asa Gray in 1871. [4] It is listed as both a federally and state endangered species. [2]

Reproduction

Research suggests that E. propullans rarely reproduces from seed on its own, but is highly dependent on vegetative reproduction, or limited cross pollination with Erythronium albidum , thus limiting population growth [5] and spread of the species.

Threats

The historical and current distribution of E. propullans is limited and the primary threats to the species include, development and flooding along the floodplains and ridges where it currently exists, trampling and recreational use impacts, as well as habitat changes brought on by invasive species such as common buckthorn ( Rhamnus cathartica ). Since the plants form large colonies of 100 or more clonal plants, the true number of distinctive individuals may number only around 400. [2] Attempts to propagate the species by humans have generally been unsuccessful. [2]

Related Research Articles

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

Erythronium, the fawn lily, trout lily, dog's-tooth violet or adder's tongue, is a genus of Eurasian and North American plants in the lily family, most closely related to tulips. The name Erythronium derives from Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós) "red" in Greek, referring to the red flowers of E. dens-canis. Of all the established species, most live in North America; only six species are found in Europe and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stolon</span> Horizontal connections between organisms

In biology, stolons, also known as runners, are horizontal connections between parts of an organism. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton. Typically, animal stolons are exoskeletons.

<i>Clintonia borealis</i> Species of flowering plant

Clintonia borealis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae. The specific epithet borealis means "of the north," which alludes to the fact that the species tends to thrive in the boreal forests of eastern Canada and northeastern United States.

<i>Erythronium albidum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium albidum, the white fawnlily or white trout lily, is a small herbaceous geophyte in the lily family. It is also known as adder's tongue, whitedog's-tooth violet, serpent's tongue, trout lily, deer tongue, and yellow snowdrop. Large numbers of this plant indicate that the woodland has never been subjected to heavy machinery, where it would be unable to grow due to soil compaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulbil</span> Small young plant that grows from the parent plants stem

A bulbil is a small, young plant that is reproduced vegetatively from axillary buds on the parent plant's stem or in place of a flower on an inflorescence. These young plants are clones of the parent plant that produced them—they have identical genetic material. The formation of bulbils is a form of asexual reproduction, as they can eventually go on to form new stand-alone plants.

<i>Erythronium americanum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium americanum, the trout lily, yellow trout lily, or yellow dogtooth violet, is a species of perennial, colony forming, spring ephemeral flower native to North America and dwelling in woodland habitats. Within its range it is a very common and widespread species, especially in eastern North America. The common name "trout lily" refers to the appearance of its gray-green leaves mottled with brown or gray, which allegedly resemble the coloring of brook trout.

<i>Allium cernuum</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium cernuum, known as nodding onion or lady's leek, is a perennial plant in the genus Allium. It grows in open areas in North America.

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

Erigenia bulbosa, also known as harbinger of spring or pepper and salt, is a flowering perennial plant in the family Apiaceae. E. bulbosa is the only species in the genus Erigenia and tribe Erigenieae. This plant is known as harbinger of spring because it is one of the earliest blooming native wildflowers of rich forests in the mid-latitude United States. Throughout most of its range it blooms from late February through early April.

<i>Erythronium revolutum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium revolutum is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae which is known by several common names, including mahogany fawn lily, coast fawn lily, and pink fawn lily. It is native to the west coast of North America.

<i>Erythronium montanum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium montanum, the avalanche lily or white avalanche lily, is a member of the lily family native to coastal British Columbia and the alpine and subalpine Olympic and Cascade Ranges of the Pacific Northwest of Washington and Oregon.

<i>Erythronium oregonum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium oregonum is a North American species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common name giant white fawnlily or Oregon fawn-lily.

Erythronium pluriflorum is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae which is known by the common names manyflower fawn lily,golden fawn-lily, and Shuteye Peak fawn lily.

<i>Erythronium tuolumnense</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium tuolumnense is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, known by the common name Tuolumne fawn lily or Tuolumne dog's tooth violet. However, it is neither a true lily nor a violet. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada of Tuolumne County, California; from 600 m (1,969 ft) along Italian Bar Road up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) altitude at the headwaters of Deer Creek.

<i>Brodiaea filifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Brodiaea filifolia, known by the common name threadleaf brodiaea, is a rare species of flowering plant in the cluster-lily genus. It is endemic to southern California, mostly in the region around the junction of Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.

<i>Rubus pubescens</i> Berry and plant

Rubus pubescens is a herbaceous perennial widespread across much of Canada and the northern United States, from Alaska to Newfoundland, south as far as Oregon, Colorado, and West Virginia.

<i>Erythronium taylorii</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium taylorii is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Pilot Ridge fawn lily, Taylor's fawnlily, and Yosemite fawn lily. It is endemic to Tuolumne County, California, where it is known only from Pilot Ridge, a remote mountain ridge outside of Yosemite National Park. It was discovered in 1996 and described to science as E. taylori in 1997, and it is now called E. taylorii. There are at least 1000 individuals in the single known population. It occurs on shaded north-facing cliffs.

<i>Erythronium japonicum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium japonicum, known as Asian fawn lily, Oriental fawn lily, Japanese fawn lily is a pink-flowered species trout lily, belonging to the Lily family and native to Japan, Korea, the Russian Far East and northeastern China. It is a spring ephemeral, blooming April–June in woodlands. It is known as zhūyáhuā (猪牙花) in Chinese, eolleji (얼레지) in Korean, and katakuri in Japanese.

<i>Tiedemannia canbyi</i> Species of flowering plant

Tiedemannia canbyi is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known as Canby's dropwort and Canby's cowbane. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it occurs on the Atlantic coastal plain from North Carolina to Georgia, as well as the Chesapeake Bay area. It is threatened by the loss of the wetland habitat in which it grows. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Erythronium elegans is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Coast Range fawnlily and elegant fawnlily. It is endemic to Oregon in the United States, where it is known from about 12 occurrences in the northern Coast Range.

<i>Erythronium umbilicatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium umbilicatum, the dimpled trout lily, is a species of flowering plant in the lily family. It is native to the Southeastern United States, primarily in the Piedmont and Southern Appalachian areas. It is reported from West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

References

  1. ↑ Sather, N. (1990). "Minnesota dwarf trout lily: an endangered Minnesota wildflower" (PDF). St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Barbara Coffin; Lee Pfannmuller (1988). Minnesota's Endangered Flora and Fauna. U of Minnesota Press. p. 97. ISBN   978-0-8166-1689-3.
  3. ↑ Allen, Geraldine A.; Robertson, Kenneth R. (2002). "Erythronium propullans". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 26. New York and Oxford. Retrieved 2005-05-10– via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. ↑ Gray, A. (1871). "A new species of Erythronium". American Naturalist. University of Chicago Press, American Society of Naturalists. 5 (5): 298–300. JSTOR   2447111.
  5. ↑ Banks, Jo Ann (1980). "The Reproductive Biology of Erythronium propullans Gray and Sympatric Populations of E. albidum Nutt. (Liliaceae)". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. Torrey Botanical Society. 107 (2): 181–188. doi:10.2307/2484223. JSTOR   2484223.
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