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Conserving and restoring
America's native plants |
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CPC National Collection Plant Profile
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Leitneria floridana
| Family: |
Leitneriaceae (Corkwood) |
| Common Name: |
Corkwood |
| Growth
Habit: |
Shrub |
| CPC
Number: |
2466 |
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enlarge
| Photographer:
William R. Carr |
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| Primary
custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered
Plants is: |
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| Dave Berkshire contributed to this Plant Profile. |
Leitneria floridana
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Leitneria floridana is the sole member of its genus and is found only on the Coastal Plain of the eastern United States. Corkwood’s scattered range includes freshwater swamps, wetland thickets, pond habitats, brackish tidal streams and brackish marshes of coastal southeast Texas, the central Gulf coast of Florida, extreme southeast Missouri, northeast and east-central Arkansas and southwest Georgia (Bogle, 1977; Kral, 1983; and Carr, W.R., 2003). This unusual wand-like or tree-like shrub grows to 20 feet tall, has smooth reddish bark with buff-colored lenticels (Godfrey and Wooten, 1981; Correll and Johnston, 1979; Vines, 1960). Traditionally, the lightweight wood is used for making bobbers and floats for fishing (Noakes, 2001).
Corkwood flowers in the spring from previous season’s wood before its leaves emerge. Usually a dioecious species, the male plants bear 2-5 cm long brownish staminate catkins whereas the female catkins are reddish and produce 1-2.5 cm long smooth, leathery drupes. The thick, firm leaves are 5-20 cm long and bear prominent veins. Leaves are deciduous, petiolate and arranged alternately. The leaves are simple and are narrowly elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate in shape with acute to acuminate tips. Corkwood reproduces asexually by means of suckers, spreads from extensive roots and may form dense colonies (Godfrey and Wooten, 1981; Correll and Johnston, 1979, Vines, 1960).
FLOWER PHENOLIOGY: Flowers in March-April and fruits in April-August.
| Distribution
& Occurrence |
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State Range
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Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Missouri
Texas |
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Habitat
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L. floridana is found in brackish or freshwater swamps and thickets (Correll & Johnston 1979; Godfrey and Wooten, 1981) and prefers low, moist, or poorly drained areas with sandy or silty soils in full or partial sun (Noakes 2001; Carr, W.R., 2003). The sites are typically hammocks, drier islands within marshes, swamps and estuaries. Sites often alternate between inundation with water and severe drought. Soils often have saltwater intrusion. Corkwood also grows along rivers and streams at scattered locales. The species is exceptionally flood tolerant and apparently able to survive complete inundation for long spells. |
Distribution
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Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Texas. |
Number Left
State/Area
Protection
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State/Area |
Rank |
Status |
Date |
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Arkansas |
S3 |
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8/19/1986 |
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Florida |
S3 |
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Georgia |
S1 |
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Missouri |
S2 |
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Texas |
S1 |
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| Conservation,
Ecology & Research |
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Ecological
Relationships
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Where their ranges overlap, namely, in Missouri and Arkansas, Corkwood grows with the federally endangered Pondberry, Lindera melissifolia. The largest known Texas population occurs along a natural pond with Sabal minor and Panicum gymnocarpon under the shade of a deciduous forest composed namely of, Carya aquatica and Fraximus pensylvanica (Carr, W.R. et al, 2004). Because corkwood reproduces asexually by means of suckers, spreads from extensive roots and forms dense colonies, the species prevents erosion. The species is exceptionally flood tolerant and apparently able to survive complete inundation for long spells. |
Threats
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Since it is usually only found in wetlands, any threats to wetlands, like draining, would pose a threat to this species. Changes in hydrology resulting from road construction or off road vehicles may threaten stands of Leitneria floridana including those populations in national forests. |
Current Research Summary
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Horticultural germination and propagation protocols published in Noakes, 2001. |
Current Management Summary
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Leitneria floridana is managed along with the federally endangered Lindera melissifolia in locales where the two species overlap in range. In Arkansas and Missouri colonies of both are being protected in state parks, National Forests, or other public natural areas. |
Research Management Needs
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Careful site selection for reintroductions or rescues is needed. Plants transplanted from Angleton, Texas to two sites in 1972 resulted in 0 survivorship at one of two sites (Carr, 1998). |
Monitoring Efforts
Ex Situ Needs
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Seed banking and related propagation studies needed. |
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| Books (Single Authors)
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| Bates, D.M.; Ingram Jr., J.W.; Moore Jr., H.E. 1976. Hortus Third, a concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York NY. Macmillan. |
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| Correll, D.S.; Correll, H.B. 1975. Aquatic and wetland plants of southwestern United States. Vol. 1 and 2. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1777p. |
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| Correll, D.S.; Johnston, M.C. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. Renner: Texas Research Foundation. 1881p. |
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| Fernald, M.L. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th edition. New York. American. |
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| Gleason, H.A. 1952. The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, 3 vols. Lancaster, Penn. Lancaster Press. |
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| Godfrey, R.K. 1988. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of northern Florida and adjacent Georgia and Alabama. Athens: The Univ. of Georgia Press. 734p. |
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| Godfrey, R.K.; Wooten, J.W. 1981. Aquatic and wetland plants of the southeastern United States: Dicotyledons. Athens, Georgia. University of Georgia Press. |
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| Hunter, C.G. 1989. Trees, shrubs and vines of Arkansas. Ozark Society Foundation. Little Rock: 207p. |
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| Little, E.L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native & naturalized); Agricultural Habdbook No. 541. Washington, D.C. U.S. Forest Service. |
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| Nixon, E.S.; Cunningham, B.L. 1985. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of East Texas. Nacogdoches, Texas. B.L. Cunningham Productions. |
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| Poole, J.M.; Carr, W.R.; Price, D.M.; Singhurst, J.R. 2007. Rare Plants of Texas. College Station, TX. Texas A&M University Press. 640p. |
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| Smith, E.B. 1994. Keys to the Flora of Arkansas. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. 363p. |
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| Steyermark, J.A. 1963. Flora of Missouri. Ames, Iowa. Iowa State University Press. |
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| Vines, R.A. 1960. Trees, shrubs and woody vines of the southwest. Austin: The University of Texas Press. 110p. |
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| Wunderlin, R.P. 1998. Guide to the vascular plants of Florida. Gainesville, Florida. University Press of Florida. |
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| Books (Sections)
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| Abbe, E.C.; Earle, T.T. 1940. Inflorescence, floral anatomy and morphology of Leitneria floridana. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 67: 173-193. |
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| Bogle, A.L. 1997. Leitneriaceae. Pp. 414-415 in Flora of North America Committee. 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Volume 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hammaelidae. Oxford University Press. New York. p 590. |
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| Channel, R.B.; Wood, C.E. Jr. 1962. The Leitneriaceae in the southeastern United States, J. Arnold Arbor. 43: 436-438. |
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| Godfrey, R.K.; Wooten, J.W. 1979. Aquatic and wetland plants of the southeastern United States. Dicotyledons. The Univ. of Georgia Press. Athens. p 933. |
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| Judd, W.S.; Campbell, C.S.; Kellogg, E.A.; Stevens, P.F.l; Donoghue, M.J. 2002. Plant Systematics A Phylogenetic Approach Second Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, MA. p 576. |
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| Poole, J.M.; Carr, W.R.; Price, D.M.; Singhurst, J.S. 2007. Rare Plants of Texas. Texas A&M Univ. Press. |
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| Books (Edited Volumes)
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| Jarvis, C. E. 1989. A review of the order Leitneriales Engler. P. R. Crane and S. Blackmore, eds. 1989. Oxford. Vol. 2. [Syst. Assoc. Special Vol. 40B]. 189-192.p. |
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| Journal Articles
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| Godfrey, R.K.; Clewell, A.F. 1965. Polygamodioecious Leitneria floridana (Leitneriaceae). Sida 2. 172-173. |
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| Petersen F.P.; Fairbrothers, D.E. 1983. A serotaxonomic appraisal of Amphypterygium and Leitneria-two amentiferous taxa of Rutiforae (Rosidae). Syst. Bot. 8: 134-148. |
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| Sharma, J.; W.R. Graves. 2004. Germination of Leitneria floridana seeds from disjunct populations. HortScience. 39(7): 1695-99. |
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| Personal Communications
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| Carr, W.R. 1998. Field notes of 7-8 May 1998. |
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| Reports
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| Carr, W.R. 2004. Working draft of February, 2004. An Annotated List of the G3/T3 and Rarer Plant Taxa of Texas. |
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| Kral, R. 1983. A report on some rare, threatened, or endangered forest-related vascular plants of the South. Athens, GA: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service. p.1305. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service Technical. |
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