Geum radiatum

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Geum radiatum
Geumradiatum.jpg
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Geum
Species:
G. radiatum
Binomial name
Geum radiatum
Michx. 1903 not Pursh 1814 [1] [2]
Synonyms [1] [2] [3]
  • Sieversia radiata(Michx.) G.Don
  • Acomastylis radiataF.Bolle
  • Parageum radiatumH.Hara

Geum radiatum is a rare species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common names spreading avens, Appalachian avens, and cliff avens. It is native to the region of the border between Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States, where there are eleven known populations remaining. [4] The plant was federally listed as an endangered species in 1990. [4]

Geum radiatum is a perennial herb with a horizontal rhizome spreading beneath the soil. From the rhizome, several rosettes of leaves sprout. What may appear to be separate plants are actually all clones belonging to one genetic individual, as the plant reproduces vegetatively. The large leaves are decidedly kidney-shaped. [5] The stems grow 20 centimeters to half a meter (8-20 inches) tall and produces bright yellow flowers in the summer months. [4] This Geum looks very different from other species in its genus that grow in the area. Its closest relative is probably Geum peckii , which does not occur in the same region. [6]

Geum radiatum grows on a few tall mountaintops above 1310 meters (4367 feet) elevation in the southern Appalachians in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. [4] [6] It sprouts from steep, often vertical cliffs, anchored by its rhizome. Conditions are exposed and sunny, and the soil is acidic and gravelly. [4] [6] Other plants in the habitat include Solidago spithamaea , [5] Kalmia buxifolia , Menziesia pilosa , Rhododendron catawbiense , Heuchera villosa , Micranthes petiolaris , and species of asters, sedges, and grasses. The forests around the cliffs are dominated by red spruce (Picea rubens). [7]

Fifteen known populations exist. Three others have been extirpated; these occurred in areas that were popular recreational sites for hiking, mountain climbing, and other uses. [4] Threats to the remaining populations include erosion, soil compaction from trampling, and development of facilities for recreation, such as trails, ski slopes, parking lots, and bridges. [4] Poaching is also a problem for this species as a mountain wildflower with showy yellow blooms. Pollution, including acid rain, may be a threat. [6] Some of the few remaining populations are small, with fewer than 50 plants, [4] and the number of genetically separate individuals may be smaller. [6] Climate change threatens the long term viability of this species. [8]

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<i>Geum</i> Genus of plants

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Stolon

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<i>Geum rivale</i> Species of flowering plant

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Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

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<i>Geum triflorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Geum triflorum, prairie smoke, three-flowered avens, or old man's whiskers, is a spring-blooming perennial herbaceous plant of North America from northern Canada to California and east to New York. The flowers bloom from mid-spring to early summer.

<i>Eurybia surculosa</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Eurybia chlorolepis</i> Species of plant in the family Asteraceae

Eurybia chlorolepis, commonly known as the mountain wood aster, mountain aster, or Appalachian heartleaf aster, is a perennial, herbaceous plant native to the southeastern United States. It is present only at relatively high elevations in the Appalachian mountains. Although it is not considered seriously threatened due to a large number of sites in some of its range, it is often locally endangered and possibly extirpated in the south of its range.

Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest

The southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest is an ecoregion of the temperate coniferous forests biome, a type of montane coniferous forest that grows in the highest elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States.

<i>Houstonia purpurea</i> Species of plant

Houstonia purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common names Venus's pride, woodland bluet, and purple bluet. It is native to the eastern United States from eastern Texas and Oklahoma east to Florida and Pennsylvania, with scattered populations in Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, New York State and New England.

<i>Lysimachia asperulifolia</i> Species of plant

Lysimachia asperulifolia is a rare species of flowering plant in the Primulaceae known by the common name rough-leaved loosestrife and roughleaf yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to the Atlantic coastal plain in North Carolina and northern South Carolina in the United States, where there are 64 known populations. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Solidago spithamaea</i>

Solidago spithamaea is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Blue Ridge goldenrod. It is native to a very small region around the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in the United States. Its three remaining populations are threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Spiraea virginiana</i>

Spiraea virginiana is a rare species of flowering plant in the rose family (Rosaceae) known by the common names Virginia meadowsweet and Virginia spiraea. It is native to the southern Appalachian Mountains, where it has a distribution scattered across nine states. However, most populations are very small and poor in quality. It is threatened by disturbances in the hydrology of its habitat, introduced species of plants, and other threats. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

Primula capillaris is a rare species of flowering plant in the primrose family known by the common name Ruby Mountains primrose, or Ruby Mountain primrose. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where it is limited to the Ruby Mountains of Elko County.

<i>Oxalis montana</i>

Oxalis montana is a species of flowering plant in the family Oxalidaceae known by the common names mountain woodsorrel, wood shamrock, sours and white woodsorrel. It may also be called common woodsorrel, though this name also applies to its close relative, Oxalis acetosella.

<i>Carex bigelowii</i> Species of grass-like plant

Carex bigelowii is a species of sedge known by the common names Bigelow's sedge, Gwanmo sedge, and stiff sedge. It has an Arctic–alpine distribution in Eurasia and North America, and grows up to 50 centimetres (20 in) tall in a variety of habitats.

<i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> Berry and plant

Vaccinium pallidum is a species of flowering plant in the heath family known by the common names hillside blueberry, Blue Ridge blueberry, late lowbush blueberry, and early lowbush blueberry. It is native to central Canada (Ontario) and the central and eastern United States plus the Ozarks of Missouri, Arkansas, southeastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma.

Geum geniculatum is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name bent avens. It is endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States, where it occurs on only three mountains: Grandfather Mountain and Rich Mountain in North Carolina and Roan Mountain straddling the North Carolina-Tennessee border.

<i>Geum peckii</i> Species of flowering plant

Geum peckii is a species of herbaceous, perennial flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name mountain avens. It is native to eastern North America, where it is known from only two locations, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and three sites in Nova Scotia.

Krigia montana, known as Mountain dwarfdandelion, is a North American species of plants in the sunflower family. It is native to the Great Smoky Mountains and other nearby peaks in the southern Appalachians of Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Georgia. It is found on cliffs and outcrops at high elevations.

References

  1. 1 2 The Plant List (Jun 2011). "Geum radiatum Michx".
  2. 1 2  Geum radiatum was first described and published in Flora Boreali-Americana 1: 300–301. 1803. "Name - Geum radiatum Michx". Tropicos. Saint Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden . Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  3. The International Plant Names Index
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 USFWS. Determination of endangered status for Geum radiatum and Hedyotis purpurea var. montana. Federal Register April 5, 1990.
  5. 1 2 Geum radiatum. Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Geum radiatum. The Nature Conservancy.
  7. Geum radiatum. Archived 2010-12-15 at the Wayback Machine Center for Plant Conservation.
  8. "Life at the top: Long-term demography, microclimatic refugia, and responses to climate change for a high-elevation southern Appalachian endemic plant | Request PDF". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2020-05-27.