Mirabilis macfarlanei | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Nyctaginaceae |
Genus: | Mirabilis |
Species: | M. macfarlanei |
Binomial name | |
Mirabilis macfarlanei Constance & Rollins | |
Mirabilis macfarlanei is a rare species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common name MacFarlane's four o'clock. It is native to Idaho and Oregon in the United States, where it is only known from three river canyons. It faces a number of threats and is federally listed as a threatened species of the United States.
This plant is a perennial herb forming rounded clumps of stems up to a meter long. [1] The plant grows from a taproot up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) wide [2] and which may grow eight feet (2.4 meters) deep. [3] It spreads via long rhizomes; what appear to be individual plants may be a number of clumps that arise from a single genetic individual. The purplish stems are lined with oval leaves up to 5 centimeters long by 5 wide. The inflorescence contains 3 to 7 flowers. [2] The flower lacks a corolla of petals but has a calyx of magenta sepals 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide. [4] The flowers are pollinated by solitary bees and the bumblebee species Bombus fervidus . [3]
This plant grows in the canyons of the Snake, Salmon, and Imnaha Rivers in western Idaho and far eastern Oregon. The sandy soil overlies talus, and the often steep canyon slopes are easily eroded. The habitat is dry and relatively warm native grassland with some shrubs. [5] Common grasses include bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum), sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), and pine bluegrass (Poa secunda). Other plants in the habitat include yellow alyssum (Alyssum alyssoides), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), tufted evening primrose (Oenothera caespitosa), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), rubber rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), and hackberry (Celtis reticulata). [5]
The plant was federally listed as an endangered species in 1979. Conservation efforts and the discovery of additional populations led to a more optimistic outlook for the plant and its status was downlisted to threatened in 1996. [5] By 2000 there were eleven populations. [2] [6] Based on monitoring data collected on federal lands, the total population had neither increased nor decreased by 2008. [6] It is difficult to count or estimate the number of plants because many clumps of stems can belong to one genetic individual. [3]
This species faces a number of threats. Most all of the populations are on land that has been heavily grazed by domestic cattle and sheep, and trampling and predation by the animals can adversely affect the plant. [6] Grazing still occurs in some parts of the plant's range, [6] and it generally grows in steeper spots that have been less impacted by grazing. [7] The area is also browsed by bighorn sheep, elk, deer, and mountain goats. [6] The ecosystem is negatively impacted by introduced species of plants, including cheat grass (Bromus tectorum), St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria genistifolia ssp. dalmatica), and yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis). [6] The three-toed stem-boring weevil (Mecinus janthinus) has been released into four o'clock habitat that is infested with dalmatian toadflax to act as an agent of biological pest control against the weed. [7] While the four o'clock generally survives wildfire due to its large underground rhizome, fires increase the number of non-native plants growing in the area. [6] Insecticides may damage populations of important pollinating insects. [6] Off-road vehicles and trampling by hikers may damage plants. [3] Herbicide spraying has damaged populations. [3] Insects have been noted to feed on the plant, including spittlebugs (Aprophora and Philaenus sp.) and the small moth Lithariapteryx abroniaeella . [4]
Distichlis spicata is a species of grass known by several common names, including seashore saltgrass, inland saltgrass, and desert saltgrass. This grass is native to the Americas, where it is widespread. It can be found on other continents as well, where it is naturalized. It is extremely salt tolerant.
Echinacea laevigata, the smooth purple coneflower, is an Endangered Species Act federally listed endangered species of plant found in the piedmont of the eastern United States. Most populations are found on roadsides and other open areas with plenty of sunlight, often on calcium- and magnesium- rich soils.
Hooveria purpurea is a species of flowering plant related to the agaves known by the common name purple amole. This species of soap plant is endemic to California, where it grows in the Santa Lucia Range, in the Central Coast region. There are two varieties of this plant, and both are believed to be quite rare. It is a federally listed threatened species.
Epilobium howellii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common names Yuba Pass willowherb and subalpine fireweed. It is endemic to the High Sierra Nevada of California, where it is known from only about 20 occurrences.
Lilium occidentale is a rare North American species of lily known by the common name western lily. Its species name 'Occidentale' means 'westernmost' and refers to its location along the West Coast. It is native to northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. It grows in coastal prairie habitat, swamps and stagnant bogs with Drosera species, bluffs and sandy cliffs, and seaside spruce forests. This rare wildflower is limited in distribution and directly endangered by a number of environmental factors. It is a federally listed endangered species and it is listed as endangered by the states of California and Oregon.
Mirabilis multiflora is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common name Colorado four o'clock that is native to the southwestern United States from California to Colorado and Texas, as well as far northern Mexico, where it grows in mostly dry habitat types in a number of regions.
Mirabilis nyctaginea is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by several common names, including wild four o'clock, heartleaf four o'clock, and heartleaf umbrella wort.
Asclepias meadii is a rare species of milkweed known by the common name Mead's milkweed. It is native to the American Midwest, where it was probably once quite widespread in the tallgrass prairie. Today much of the Midwest has been fragmented and claimed for agriculture, and the remaining prairie habitat is degraded.
Asclepias welshii is a rare species of milkweed known by the common name Welsh's milkweed. It is native to southern Utah and northern Arizona, where there are four known occurrences remaining. Most of the plants occur in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, where the habitat has been degraded in many areas by off-road vehicle use. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.
Carex specuicola is a rare species of sedge known by the common name Navajo sedge. It is native to a small section of the Colorado Plateau in the United States, its distribution straddling the border between Utah and Arizona, and completely within the Navajo Nation. There are several populations but they are limited to a specific type of habitat. The plants grow from the sides of steep, often vertical cliffs of red Navajo Sandstone, in areas where water trickles from the rock. It occurs at elevations between 5,700 and 6,000 feet, usually in shady spots. Though it is not a grass, the sedge grows in inconspicuous clumps resembling tufts of grass sticking out of the rock face. When the sedge was federally listed as a threatened species in 1985, it was known from only three populations in Coconino County, Arizona, with no more than 700 plants existing. The species has since been observed in northeastern Arizona and San Juan County, Utah.
Clematis socialis is a rare species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Alabama leather flower. It is native to the US states of Alabama and Georgia, where it is known from only five populations. The species is seriously threatened by habitat destruction. It is a federally listed endangered species.
Escobaria robbinsorum is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Cochise pincushion cactus and Cochise foxtail cactus. It is native to southern Arizona in the United States, where it is known only from Cochise County, and northern Sonora in Mexico. There are scattered small occurrences on the north side of the border, and one known population to the south. Because of its rarity and a number of threats to remaining plants, the species was federally listed with a threatened status in 1986.
Hackelia venusta is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name showy stickseed, or lesser showy stickseed. It is endemic to Washington state in the United States, where it is known from only one canyon in Chelan County. There is only one small population with a global distribution of less than one hectare. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 2002.
Phacelia argillacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names clay phacelia and Atwood's phacelia. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from one canyon in Utah County. It is "one of Utah's most endangered species"; it is "one of the nation's rarest plants" and is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.
Townsendia aprica is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Last Chance Townsend daisy. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known from three counties. It faces a number of threats and it is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.
Calamagrostis montanensis is a species of grass known by the common names plains reedgrass and prairie reedgrass. It is native to North America, where it is found across Canada from British Columbia to Manitoba and south to Colorado in the United States.
Delphinium viridescens is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Wenatchee larkspur. It is endemic to central Washington state in the United States, where it occurs in the Wenatchee Mountains in Chelan and Kittitas Counties.
Lygodesmia doloresensis is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Dolores River skeletonplant. It is native to a small area of Colorado and neighboring Utah in the United States. This species is sometimes considered a variety of Lygodesmia grandiflora.
Mirabilis rotundifolia is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common name roundleaf four o'clock. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is limited to the south-central part of the state. It occurs in the Arkansas River Valley in Fremont, Pueblo, and Las Animas Counties.
Astragalus tyghensis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Tygh Valley milkvetch. It is endemic to Oregon in the United States, where it is known only from the Tygh Valley of Wasco County.