Parnassia caroliniana

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Parnassia caroliniana
Z--Pictures-Parnassia on Boulevard Trial of Mount LeConte-20190901 124413.jpeg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Celastrales
Family: Celastraceae
Genus: Parnassia
Species:
P. caroliniana
Binomial name
Parnassia caroliniana
Michx. 1803
Synonyms [2] [3] [4] : 1–2 
  • Parnassia floridanaRydb.

Parnassia caroliniana is a species of flowering plant in the Celastraceae known by the common name Carolina grass of Parnassus. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it occurs in North Carolina and South Carolina, with an isolated population in the Florida Panhandle. [1] [5] [6]

This rhizomatous perennial herb grows up to 65 centimeters (26 inches) tall. The basal leaves have rounded to oval blades borne on long petioles and leaves on the stem are heart-shaped and clasp the stem at their bases. The inflorescence is a solitary flower with five deeply veined white petals which may exceed 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) in length. At the center are five stamens with yellow anthers and five three-parted staminodes. The fruit is a capsule, [1] which dehisces to drop seeds. [4] : 25  Unlike Parnassia grandifolia , the pistil of P. caroliniana is white and the staminodes are apiculate, while the petals broaden at points closer to their base than is seen in P. grandifolia. [4] : 10 

Parnassia caroliniana grows in moist areas in a variety of habitat types, including flatwoods, savannas, bogs, and the ecotones between pocosins and savannas or swamps and savannas. On the coastal plain the plant can be found on sandy calcareous substrates with peat. Common pine tree associates include longleaf pine and slash pine, [1] while the plant prefers grassy areas with an open canopy. [4] : 20–21  Today these may be found near pine plantations. Other plants in the habitat may include Andropogon virginicus , A. glomeratus , Aristida stricta , Arundinaria tecta , Centella asiatica , Ctenium aromaticum , Dichromena sp., Erigeron vernus , Eryngium integrifolium , Eupatorium rotundifolium , E. leucolepis , E. pilosum , Fothergilla gardenii , Gaylussacia frondosa , Gentiana pennelliana , Helenium pinnatifidum , Ilex glabra , Lorinseria areolata , Lyonia lucida , Pinus serotina , Platanthera ciliaris , P. cristata , Pteridium aquilinum , Ptilimnium capillaceum , Pycnanthemum flexuosum , Rhexia alifanus , Sarracenia flava , S. purpurea , Taxodium ascendens and Vaccinium crassifolium . [1]

Flowering occurs from the end of September through the beginning of November. Hoverflies, other Diptera and beetles are attracted to the flowers. [4] : 24–25 

The main threats to the species come from activities related to timber, such as logging, planting of seedlings, and ditching. Once trees are established, fire suppression is practiced in the area. This prevents a natural fire regime that would normally keep the forests and woodlands clear of brush and maintain an open canopy. The land is also drained, making it too dry to support the plant. Land is also lost in the conversion to residential and commercial development. [1]

This plant is being conserved at Moores Creek National Battlefield in North Carolina, where wetland rehabilitation is in progress. [5]

Related Research Articles

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The longleaf pine is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as "yellow pine" or "long leaf yellow pine", although it is properly just one out of a number of species termed yellow pine. It reaches a height of 30–35 m (98–115 ft) and a diameter of 0.7 m (28 in). In the past, before extensive logging, they reportedly grew to 47 m (154 ft) with a diameter of 1.2 m (47 in). The tree is a cultural symbol of the Southern United States, being the official state tree of Alabama. This particular species is one of the eight pine tree species that falls under the "Pine" designation as the state tree of North Carolina.

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

The genus Parnassia, also known as grass of Parnassus or bog-stars, are plants now placed in the family Celastraceae, formerly classified in Parnassiaceae or Saxifragaceae. The plants occur in arctic and alpine habitats, as well as in dune systems and fens, swamps, wet meadows, open seepage areas, moist woods, and across the Northern Hemisphere. It is actually not a grass, but an herbaceous dicot. The stalk of the plant can reach up to 200 millimeters (8 in), the leaves up to 100 mm (4 in) and the petals can be up to 36 mm (1.4 in) wide. The flower has five white petals with light green venation. There are five three-pronged sterile stamens, each tipped with drop-like false nectaries, which attract pollinating flies and bees.

<i>Parnassia palustris</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae

Parnassia palustris, the marsh grass of Parnassus, northern grass-of-Parnassus, or just grass-of-Parnassus, and bog star, is a flowering plant in the staff-vine family Celastraceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parnassiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Parnassiaceae Gray were a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Celastrales. The family is not recognized in the APG III system of plant classification. When that system was published in 2009, Parnassiaceae were treated as subfamily Parnassioideae of an expanded family Celastraceae.

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

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<i>Parnassia californica</i> Species of flowering plant

Parnassia californica is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae known by the common name California grass of Parnassus. It is native to the mountains of Oregon, California, and Nevada, where it grows in moist areas such as meadows and streambanks.

<i>Parnassia fimbriata</i> Species of flowering plant

Parnassia fimbriata is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae known by the common name fringed grass of Parnassus. It was first described by Charles Konig. It is native to western North America from Alaska and northwestern Canada to the southern Rocky Mountains, where it is a plant of alpine and subalpine environments, usually in wet areas. Despite the common name, this is not a true grass.

<i>Silene antirrhina</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Asimina rugelii</i> Species of plant

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

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<i>Thalictrum cooleyi</i> Species of flowering plant

Thalictrum cooleyi is a rare species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Cooley's meadow-rue. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it is present in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It is threatened by habitat destruction and degradation. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Kalmia cuneata</i> Species of flowering plant

Kalmia cuneata is a species of flowering plant in the heath family known by the common name whitewicky, sometimes spelled white-wicky or white wicky. It is native to the eastern United States, where it occurs only in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Matelea alabamensis is a species of flowering plant in the dogbane family known by the common names Alabama milkvine, Alabama anglepod, and Alabama spiny-pod. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it occurs in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

<i>Rhexia aristosa</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Claytonia caroliniana</i> Species of flowering plant

Claytonia caroliniana, the Carolina springbeauty, is an herbaceous perennial in the family Montiaceae. It was formerly placed in the Portulacaceae. Its native range is eastern and central North America. It is most commonly found in the New England area of the United States but its habitat extends from Ontario and a northern limit in the Cape Anguille Mountains of Newfoundland and south to Alabama. It grows approximately 6 inches tall in forests of the Appalachian Mountains and piedmont

<i>Parnassia glauca</i> Species of plant

Parnassia glauca, also known as fen grass of Parnassus, is a flowering herb of the genus Parnassia.

<i>Euthamia caroliniana</i> Species of flowering plant

Euthamia caroliniana, known as Carolina grass-leaved goldenrod or slender goldentop is a flowering plant in the genus Euthamia, a member of the family Asteraceae. It is listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and disturbance within its range.

<i>Xyris caroliniana</i> Species of yelloweyed grass

Xyris caroliniana, the Carolina yelloweyed grass, is a North American species of flowering plant in the yellow-eyed-grass family. It is native to Cuba and to the coastal plain of the southern and eastern United States from eastern Texas to New Jersey.

<i>Parnassia grandifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Parnassia grandifolia, also known as bigleaf grass of Parnassus, is a flowering herbaceous plant of the family Celastraceae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 NatureServe (2 February 2024). "Parnassia caroliniana". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "Parnassia caroliniana Michx". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  3. ↑ "Parnassia caroliniana Michx". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Boyer, Marjorie W. (August 1995). 1991-92 Status Survey of Carolina Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia caroliniana) (Report). Asheville, North Carolina: Endangered Species Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Raleigh: North Carolina Plant Conservation Program, Plant Industry Division, North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
  5. 1 2 Parnassia caroliniana. Archived 2011-10-26 at the Wayback Machine Center for Plant Conservation.
  6. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
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