Bigelowia nuttallii
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bigelowia nuttallii (Nuttall's rayless goldenrod)[1] is a species of North American flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to the southern United States (Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida).[2]
| Bigelowia nuttallii | |
|---|---|
| |
| Black Warrior River, Blount County, Alabama | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Bigelowia |
| Species: | B. nuttallii |
| Binomial name | |
| Bigelowia nuttallii L.C.Anderson | |
Description
Bigelowia nuttallii is a sub-shrub up to 70 cm (28 inches) tall, often forming clumps. Most of the leaves are in a rosette near the ground, with smaller and narrower leaves on the stems. Flower heads are small, yellow, and displayed in flat-topped arrays, each with 2-6 disc florets but no ray florets. The plants generally grow in sandy soil.[3][4]
Conservation
NatureServe assigns Bigelowia nuttallii a global conservation rank of G3G4, indicating uncertainty between vulnerable and apparently secure. Its rounded global rank is G3, or vulnerable. The assessment was last reviewed on 22 May 2003 and is identified by NatureServe as needing review.[5]
The species is ranked N3N4 in the United States. State conservation ranks are S3 in Alabama, S1 in Florida, S3S4 in Georgia, S3 in Texas, and unranked in Louisiana. It has no status under the United States Endangered Species Act.[5]
NatureServe estimates that there are between 21 and 80 occurrences across the species' range. The species is restricted primarily to scattered sandstone, siltstone, granite, and gritstone outcrops with very thin soils, although some Florida populations occur in sand pine scrub and disturbed pine habitats. Threats may include transmission-line maintenance, inappropriate fire regimes, and off-road vehicle use.[5]
Bigelowia nuttallii spreads both vegetatively through its rhizomes and sexually by seed, often forming loosely interwoven mats. NatureServe reports that a propagation program at one population in Pinellas County, Florida, increased the number of plants from approximately 20 to more than 600 individuals.[5]
Recommended conservation actions include surveying and monitoring populations, particularly poorly documented Florida sites, studying the effects of fire, and investigating reproductive success among the species' different chromosome races.[5]
