National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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Greg Weiland

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Lesquerella stonensis

Family:	Brassicaceae
Common Names:	glade cress, Stones River bladderpod
Author:	Rollins
Growth Habit:	Annual
CPC Number:	2515

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Greg Weiland

Lesquerella stonensis 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.

Lesquerella stonensis

The Stones River bladderpod is a showy member of the mustard family, producing fragrant white flowers. This rare annual requires habitat disturbance in order to complete its life-cycle. Historically, the floodplain habitat it was found in was maintained by regular flooding, which removed competitive perennial grasses and woody plants. With alterations to the waterways where this species occurs, flooding no longer maintains the habitat this plant needs. Now, ironically, further alteration to the environment is keeping this plant alive, as annual crop production is the primary way to artificially maintain the habitat this species needs--as long as there is no fall planting or herbicide use.

In some years the plant is quite abundant locally, but virtually absent in others. A persistent seed bank seems to be important in the persistence of this plant within its narrow range in the floodplains of the Stones River.

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Tennessee

Habitat

Open areas of the Stones River floodplain--primarily in disturbed areas such as pastures, agricultural fields and roadsides. (USFWS 1999)

Distribution

Rutherford County, Tennessee, along the floodplains of the Stones River. (USFWS 1999)

Number Left

The number of sites with plants evident above ground varies from year to year. There are only a few sites that seem to be well established, however, in some years up to 20 sites can be found with plants extant. (USFWS 1999)

Protection

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Global Rank:	G1	9/30/1997	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	RT		Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

None known.

Threats

� Encroachment of more competitive vegetation
� Loss of habitat through land conversion (via residential, commercial, or industrial development)
(USFWS 1999)

Current Research Summary

� Seed germination biology study completed (Baskin and Baskin 1990)
� A three year monitoring program was completed in 1997. Sites studied were on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property on J. Percy Priest Reservoir.
� Carol J. Baskauf, a researcher at Austin Peay State University, is studying the population genetics of this species (Baskauf 2001)

Current Management Summary

A collaborative management plan between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was developed in 1998 for the Stones River Mustard Field Natural Area to conserve the Stones River bladderpod. The plan includes schedules for haying and use of herbicides to control Johnson grass and other weeds. (USFWS 1999)

Research Management Needs

Life history studies are needed

Ex Situ Needs

Establish genetically representative seed collections ex situ

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Banerjee, U.C. 1975. Atlas of the trichomes of Lesquerella (Cruciferae). Publications of the Bussey Institution of Harvard Univ. 48p.

Rollins, R.C. 1993. The Cruciferae of continental North America: Systematics of the mustard family from the Arctic to Panama. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. 976p.

Rollins, R.C.; Shaw, E.A. 1973. The genus Lesquerella (Cruciferae) in North America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 288p.

Shaw, E.A. 1973. The Genus Lesquerella (Cruciferae) in North America. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

Books (Sections)

Kral, R. 1980. Lesquerella stonensis. In: Robinson, A.F., Jr., editor. Endangered and threatened species of the southeastern U.S. including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. U.S. Forest Service. Atlanta, GA.

Pavlovic, N.B. 1994. Disturbance-dependent persistence of rare plants: anthropogenic impacts and restoration implications. In: Bowles, M.L.; Whelan, C., editors. Recovery and Restoration of Endangered Species. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. p 159-193.

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.

Journal Articles

Baskin, J.M.; Baskin, C.C. 1990. Seed germination biology of the narrowly endemic species Lesquerella stonensis (Brassicaceae). Plant Species Biology. 5: 205-213.

Shea, A. 1998. Rare plant protection program. Tennessee Natural Heritage Quarterly. 3, 1: 11.

Solbrig, O.T. 1973. Interspecific hybridization in Lesquerella. Contributions of the Gray Herbarium. 203: 3-48.

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

USFWS. 1999. Notice of reclassification of Lesquerella stonensis (Stones River bladderpod). Federal Register. 64, 90: 25216.

Reports

Baskauf, C.J. 2001. Genetic (isozyme) survey of two endangered Lesquerella species. Final report to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Shea, A. 1999. Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Stones River bladderpod (Lesquerella stonensis: Rollins). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Wieland, Greg. 1995. Lesquerella pallida Germination Studies. Houston, TX: Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. p.3. Draft.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010