National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Photographer:

Casey Galvin

Search Alphabetical List Reference Finder CPC Home

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Geocarpon minimum

Family:	Caryophyllaceae
Common Names:	earth fruit, geocarpon, tinytim
Author:	Mackenzie
Growth Habit:	Forb/herb
CPC Number:	2010

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

Profile Links

ITIS
Tropicos
PLANTS
Fish & WildLife

enlarge

Photographer: Casey Galvin

Geocarpon minimum is Fully Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

Missouri Botanical Garden

Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D. contributed to this Plant Profile.

Geocarpon minimum

If you want to see Geocarpon minimum you'll need good eyes and good knees! That's because this plant is TINY, and to find it often requires getting down on hands and knees. Growing between one and four centimeters tall, G. minimum is the only member of its genus, making it a very unique member of the Caryophyllaceae (Carnation) family.
Seeds of Geocarpon germinate in the winter and produce a small rosette. In spring the plant produces flowers and sets seed within about 4 weeks time. As the fruits mature, the plant turns from green to a striking magenta color.

Distribution & Occurrence

Top

State Range

Arkansas
Louisiana
Missouri

Habitat

In Missouri, Geocarpon minimum grows on moist, sandy soils on exposed sandstone outcrops. It is limited to shallow depressions in slightly tilted sandstone strata within sandstone glade plant communities (Shepard et al. 1991). In Arkansas and Louisiana, Geocarpon is restricted to saline soils in plant communities classified as "saline soil prairies" (USFWS 1993).

In Missouri, Geocarpon is strongly associated with the lichen, Xanthoparmelia sp. (USFWS 1993). Also likely to occur with Geocarpon: Talinum sp., and Polytrichum juniperinum.
In Arkansas and Louisiana, associates include: Scirpus koilolepsis, Aristida longespica, and Anemone caroliniana (USFWS 1993).

Distribution

Seven counties in SW Missouri, four counties in Arkansas (in NW and SE areas of the state), and one county in Northern Louisiana (USFWS 1993).

Number Left

Known from approximately 27 sites in AR, LA, and MO. The majority of sites occur in Missouri (USFWS 1993). The number of individual plants at each site varies from year to year, ranging from 0 to hundreds or occasionally even a few thousand.

Protection

Top

Global Rank:	G2	11/16/2006	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	LT	6/16/1987	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	Yes	7/26/1993

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
Arkansas	S2	SE	7/1/1997
Louisiana	S1	unprotected	9/1/1995
Missouri	S2	E	5/1/2000

Conservation, Ecology & Research

Top

Ecological Relationships

None known.

Threats

Threats include destruction or adverse modification of the habitat, trampling and grazing by cattle, road expansions and improvements, overcrowding and shading by invading plants (USFWS 1993).

Current Research Summary

The Missouri Botanical Garden is currently (year 2002) working to assess the genetic diversity and differentiation present within and among Geocarpon populations across its range. Given the disparate nature of the habitat occupied by Geocarpon in Missouri versus Arkansas and Louisiana, there is interest in determining if there are subspecific differences between the MO and the AR and LA populations. Knowledge of these differences will assist in potential future reintroduction work.

Current Management Summary

The Nature Conservancy conducts an annual census of Geocarpon on its Corry Flatrocks Preserve in SW Missouri. The Missouri Dept. of Conservation (MDC) also monitors Geocarpon at several sites in SW Missouri. MDC has worked for several years to relocate Geocarpon from an area of Collins Glade that was lost to expansion of HWY 13. Seeds of the destroyed site were transported to a protected area of Collins Glade. Monitoring of the project is done on an annual basis.

Research Management Needs

Management needs include evaluating potential habitat and searching for additional populations and preserving genetic stock. Population monitoring should be continued.
Research needs include determining the effects of disturbance factors (natural and man-made) and incorporating findings into management prescriptions, establishing experimental populations to determine the presence of habitat specific factors and understanding reproductive biology and ecology.

Ex Situ Needs

Establish reliable propagation protocols.

References

Top

Books (Single Authors)

2000. Missouri Plants of Conservation Concern. Jefferson City, MO: Conservation Commission of Missouri--Missouri Department of Conservation.

Electronic Sources

(2002). New York Botanical Garden--The Virtual Herbarium. [Searchable Web site] New York Botanical Garden. Fordham Road Bronx, New York. http://scisun.nybg.org:8890/searchdb/owa/wwwspecimen.searchform. Accessed: 2002.

USFWS. (1990). Endangered and Threatened Species Accounts. [Web page] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Endangered Species. http://ecos.fws.gov/servlet/TESSSpeciesQuery. Accessed: 2002.

USGS. (2002). Status of Listed Species and Recovery Plan Development. [Web site] USGS: Norther Prairie Wildlife Research Center. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/others/recoprog/plant.htm. Accessed: 2002.

Journal Articles

Behnke, H.D. 1982. Geocarpon-minimum sieve element plastids as additional evidence for its inclusion in the Caryophyllaceae. Taxon. 31, 1: 45-47.

Boetsch, J.R. 2002. The Aizoaceae and Molluginaceae of the southeastern United States. Castanea. 67: 42-53.

MacKenzie, K.K. 1914. A new genus from Missouri. Torreya. 14: 67.

McInnis, N.C. 1993. Geocarpon minimum (caryophyllaceae), New to Louisiana. Phytologia. 75, 2: 159.

Shepherd, W.M.; Preston, C.R.; Steinower, R. 1991. Five-year study of Geocarpon minimum at Warren Prairie Natural Area, Bradley County, Arkansas. Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science.

Smith, T.; Ely, J.S. 2006. A demographic and ecological analysis of Geocarpon minimum (Caryophyllaceae): a federally threatened species in southwest Missouri. SIDA. 22, 2: 1145-1147.

USFWS. 1976. Proposed Endangered Status for 1700 U.S. Plants. Federal Register. 41: 24523-24572.

USFWS. 1986. 18 Plants Proposed for Listing Protection. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 11, 5: 1-13.

USFWS. 1987. Twelve Listings. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 12, 7: 1, 7-8.

Reports

2002. Rare Plant Fact Sheet. Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. p.2.

Locklear, J. 1987. Plant Conservation Activities: 1987 Annual Report. Lincoln, NE: From the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum to the Center for Plant Conservation. p.3.

USFWS. 1993. Geocarpon minimum MacKenzie Recovery Plan. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. p.34.

Search Other National Collection Profiles

This profile was updated on 9/28/2010