Solidago shortii

Last updated

Short's goldenrod
Solidago shortii.jpg
1913 illustration [1]
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Solidago
Species:
S. shortii
Binomial name
Solidago shortii
Torr. & Gray
Synonyms [3]
  • Aster rafinesquiiKuntze

Solidago shortii, commonly known as Short's goldenrod, [4] is a species of goldenrod in the family Asteraceae. The only known populations of Short's goldenrod occur around the Blue Licks Battlefield State Park area of Kentucky and Harrison-Crawford State Forest in Indiana. It was listed on the Federal Register of Endangered Species on September 5, 1985, and was given a global rank of G1 (critically endangered) on February 29, 2000. [5]

Contents

Description

Short's goldenrod is a rhizomatous perennial. It reaches heights of 60–75 cm (1.97–2.46 ft) and has leaves measuring 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long and 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) wide. It produces yellow flowers from mid-August to November, releasing seeds from late September to late November. [6]

Short's goldenrod reproduces vegetatively by rhizomes and sexually by seeds. Plants are incapable of self-pollination and because the vegetatively produced clones spread out, it is difficult to exactly estimate the number of true individuals in a population. [5] The goldenrod soldier beetle plays an important role in cross pollination, and bison may have been important in distributing seeds at one time. [5] [6] Unlike other goldenrod species, Short's goldenrod does not appear to spread via wind distribution of seeds. [7]

Short's goldenrod differs from the more common goldenrod Solidago altissima by being shorter and spreading more slowly (whether vegetatively or by seed). However, where it is established, Short's goldenrod is more drought-tolerant. A number of sites have existed for at least 50 years. [8] [9]

Plants are upright to ascending, growing 60 to 130 cm tall with single stems or as clumps with 10 or more stems. They are produced from short, somewhat woody rhizomes. Plants produce basal leaves early in the growing season that wither away before flowering, and many mid- and distally produced stem leaves. Typically the lower third of the cauline or stem leaves wither away also before flowering. The short, firm cauline leaves are subsessile or obscurely petiolated with narrowly elliptic to lanceolate blades, with three nerves and distally serrate margins. Plants flower in August and October with 50 to 150 heads of flowers per flowering branch. The inflorescences are paniculiformly shaped with recurved branches on short sparsely strigose peduncles, 0.5–3 mm long. The bracteoles are very small and linear in shape. The flower involucres are narrowly campanulate in shape and 4–5 mm long. Phyllaries are unequal, in 3–4 series, both lanceolate to linear lanceolate in shape. Each flower head has 5 to 8 ray florets and 5 to 9 disc florets; the ray florets have laminae 2–3 mm long and 0.75 mm wide, and the disc florets have corollas 3–3.5 mm long. The seeds are produced in fruits called cypselae which are 2 mm long and have moderately short-strigose hairs. The fruits are topped with silky hair-like pappi 2–3 mm long. [10]

Habitat

Short's goldenrod grows best in shallow, clay soils with full sun or partial shade. [5] [7] Ideal areas include pastures, rock ledges, limestone and cedar glades, and openings in woods and forests such as those created by power line rights-of-way. [5] [6] Such openings are most likely to occur naturally as the result of vegetative disturbances such as fires or heavy animal grazing. [6] Ideal growing conditions exist in populations of more than 300 healthy plants spread over 10 or more acres with buffering vegetation for at least 1.6 km (0.99 mi). [2]

Significant areas of potential habitat for the plant were destroyed in the 1970s by construction of a new campground at Blue Licks Battlefield State Park. [6] On December 16, 1981, a 6 ha (15 acre) tract of land was donated to the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission to create Blue Licks State Nature Preserve, an area dedicated to preserving Short's goldenrod. [11] Additional tracts were dedicated on June 16, 1998, and March 7, 2000, respectively, bringing the total area of the preserve to 21 ha (53 acres). [11] Today, the preserve hosts the Short's Goldenrod Festival; all proceeds from the festival fund efforts to preserve the plant. [12]

History

Short's goldenrod was first described by John Torrey and Samuel Frederick Gray in 1842. [7] It was named for Dr. Charles Wilkins Short of Louisville, Kentucky, who discovered it growing on a limestone outcrop known as Rock Island in the Falls of the Ohio in 1840. It was last collected from that location in 1860, but might have continued to grow there had it not been for the alteration of the island effected by the construction of McAlpine Locks and Dam on the falls in the early 1900s. [12] [13] The species was considered extinct until ecologist E. Lucy Braun discovered a population near Blue Lick Springs in Kentucky in 1939. [13] Later that year, numerous populations of Short's goldenrod were reported growing on rocky slopes and pastures in the area, but only three of those still exist. [6]

In 1995, ecologists attempted to re-establish the species in Falls of the Ohio State Park by planting seven clumps of the goldenrod. Those clumps were wiped out by flooding within a year. Six years later, three of those ecologists discovered a wild population of the plant while conducting a botanical inventory of the Blue River watershed in Indiana. [13] Prior to this, there were only five known natural populations of the plant; all were near the junction of Robertson, Nicholas, and Fleming counties in Kentucky, within a 2-mile (3.2 km) radius of Blue Licks Battlefield State Park. [6] In 1989, the number of above-ground stems was listed at 73,620. [2] [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Solidago</i> Genus of plants in the family Asteraceae

Solidago, commonly called goldenrods, is a genus of about 100 to 120 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial species found in open areas such as meadows, prairies, and savannas. They are mostly native to North America, including Mexico; a few species are native to South America and Eurasia. Some American species have also been introduced into Europe and other parts of the world.

<i>Sphagneticola trilobata</i> Species of plant

Sphagneticola trilobata, commonly known as the Bay Biscayne creeping-oxeye, merigold Singapore daisy, creeping-oxeye, trailing daisy, and wedelia, is a plant in the tribe Heliantheae of the family Asteraceae. It is native to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, but now grows throughout the Neotropics. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental groundcover.

<i>Solidago canadensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago canadensis, known as Canada goldenrod or Canadian goldenrod, is an herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae. It is native to northeastern and north-central North America and often forms colonies of upright growing plants, with many small yellow flowers in a branching inflorescence held above the foliage. It is an invasive plant in other parts of the continent and several areas worldwide, including Europe and Asia. It is grown as an ornamental in flower gardens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park</span> State park in Kentucky, United States

Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park is a park located near Mount Olivet, Kentucky in Robertson and Nicholas counties. The park encompasses 148 acres (60 ha) and features a monument commemorating the August 19, 1782 Battle of Blue Licks. The battle was regarded as the final battle of the American Revolutionary War.

<i>Solidago nemoralis</i> Species of plant

Solidago nemoralis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widely found in Canada and the United States. Its common names include gray goldenrod, gray-stem goldenrod, old-field goldenrod, field goldenrod, prairie goldenrod, dwarf goldenrod, and dyersweed goldenrod.

<i>Solidago gigantea</i> Species of plant in the family Asteraceae native to North America

Solidago gigantea is a North American plant species in the family Asteraceae. Its common names include tall goldenrod and giant goldenrod, among others.

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

Solidago californica is a species of goldenrod known by the common name California goldenrod.

Solidago guiradonis is an uncommon species of goldenrod known by the common name Guirado goldenrod. It is native to the Central California Coast Ranges of central California, in southern San Benito and western Fresno Counties.

<i>Solidago multiradiata</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago multiradiata is a species of goldenrod known by the common names Rocky Mountain goldenrod, northern goldenrod, and alpine goldenrod. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout the northern regions, including Alaska and most of Canada (all 3 territories plus all provinces except Prince Edward Island, including territory north of the Arctic Circle. Its distribution extends through the western United States as far south as Arizona, New Mexico, and California. It is known mostly from the subalpine and alpine climates of high mountain ranges. Its habitat includes tundra and mountain meadows.

<i>Solidago spectabilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago spectabilis is a species of goldenrod known by the common names Nevada goldenrod, basin goldenrod, and showy goldenrod. It is native to the western United States in the Great Basin and surrounding areas. It is found in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. There are historical records saying it once grew in southwestern Idaho, but is now extirpated there. This variety has also been seen in the western Montana county of Sanders.

<i>Solidago spithamaea</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago spithamaea is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae 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>Solidago albopilosa</i> Species of plant

Solidago albopilosa is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name whitehair goldenrod.

<i>Solidago houghtonii</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago houghtonii is a rare North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known as Houghton's goldenrod. It is native to southern Ontario, Canada and the northern United States. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States and it is designated a species of special concern by Canada's Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

<i>Orbexilum stipulatum</i> Extinct species of legume

Orbexilum stipulatum, commonly known as largestipule leather-root or Falls-of-the-Ohio scurfpea, was a flowering plant that was endemic to Rock Island in the Falls of the Ohio; an area of rapids and rocky limestone outcrops in Kentucky's portion of the Ohio River. No live individuals have been found since 1881 and it is presumed to be extinct.

<i>Veratrum hybridum</i> Species of flowering plant

Veratrum hybridum is a species of flowering plant in the Melanthiaceae known by the common names slender bunchflower and crisped bunchflower. Many publications use the synonyms Melanthium latifolium and Veratrum latifolium, but the "hybridum" epithet is 9 years older than the "latifolium," so Veratrum hybridum is now the accepted name.

<i>Solidago missouriensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago missouriensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Missouri goldenrod and prairie goldenrod. It is native to North America, where it is widespread across much of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It grows from British Columbia east to Manitoba, south as far as Sonora, Coahuila, Texas, and Mississippi.

Solidago verna is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names springflowering goldenrod and spring goldenrod. It is native to North Carolina and South Carolina in the United States.

<i>Solidago villosicarpa</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago villosicarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names hairy-seed goldenrod, coastal goldenrod, glandular wand goldenrod, and shaggy-fruit goldenrod. It is endemic to North Carolina in the United States, where there are only four known populations.

<i>Helianthus eggertii</i> Species of sunflower

Helianthus eggertii, known as Eggert's sunflower, is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Alabama. It is best known as one of the few plants to have been delisted under the Endangered Species Act because of the species' recovery. It was described by John Kunkel Small in 1903.

<i>Solidago riddellii</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago riddellii, known as Riddell's goldenrod, is a North American plant species in the genus Solidago of the family Asteraceae. It grows primarily in the Great Lakes and eastern Great Plains of Canada and the United States. It is sometimes considered part of the genus Oligoneuron, but as a Solidago, included in the section Solidago sect. Ptarmicoidei, the flat-topped goldenrods.

References

  1. ↑ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 3: 394.
  2. 1 2 3 "Solidago shortii". NatureServe Explorer. 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  3. ↑ The Plant List, Solidago shortii Torr. & A.Gray
  4. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Solidago shortii". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Solidago shortii". Center for Plant Conservation. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Short's goldenrod". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. February 1991. Archived from the original on 2007-06-24. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  7. 1 2 3 "(DRAFT) - Taxonomy Species GOLDENROD, SHORT'S". Virginia Tech. 1996-03-13. Archived from the original on 2005-01-18. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  8. 1 2 David E. Buchele; Jerry M. Baskin; Carol C. Baskin (October–December 1989). "Ecology of the Endangered Species Solidago shortii. I. Geography, Populations, and Physical Habitat". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 116 (4): 344–355. doi:10.2307/2996624. JSTOR   2996624.
  9. ↑ Jeffrey L Walck; Jerry M Baskin; Carol C Baskin (2001). "Why is Solidago shortii narrowly endemic and S. altissima geographically widespread? A comprehensive comparative study of biological traits". Journal of Biogeography. 28 (10): 1221–1237. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2699.2001.00620.x. S2CID   82769090.
  10. ↑ Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2006). Flora of North America Vol 20, Magnoliophyta: Asteridae (in part): Asteraceae, part 2. Oxford University Press. p. 158. ISBN   0-19-530564-7. Online at efloras.org: Solidago shortii
  11. 1 2 "Blue Licks Battlefield State Nature Preserve" (PDF). Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  12. 1 2 "Short's Goldenrod Festival". Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. 2006-12-22. Archived from the original on 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  13. 1 2 3 "Rare Short's goldenrod found in southern Indiana". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
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