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Conserving and restoring
America's native plants |
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CPC National Collection Plant Profile
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Rhexia aristosa
| Family: |
Melastomataceae (Melastome Family) |
| Common Name: |
awned meadowbeauty |
| Author: |
Britt. |
| Growth
Habit: |
Perennial |
| CPC
Number: |
3728 |
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| Primary
custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered
Plants is: |
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Rhexia aristosa
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Rhexia aristosa is an erect, herbaceous perennial that grows to 1 meter tall. It has opposite, linear, lanceolate leaves and large purple flowers that are arranged in a cyme. The Awned meadowbeauty is found in a variety of wet habitats in the Coastal Plain from New Jersey to Alabama. More and more of these wet areas are being drained to make them suitable for activities such as agriculture, pine production, and commercial and residential development. This disruption of natural hydrologic processes has a negative impact on the survival of Rhexia aristosa populations. Compounded with the continuing effects of these activities—erosion, sedimentation, increased nutrient input, and herbicide and pesticide runoff—it is clear that this species requires careful monitoring and protection.
| Distribution
& Occurrence |
|
State Range
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Alabama
Delaware
Georgia
New Jersey
North Carolina
South Carolina |
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Habitat
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Found in wetlands, wet savannahs, pond beds, flooded bays, cypress bays, pond-cypress savannas, wet pinelands
ditches, grass-sedge dominated Carolina bays, vernal ponds, depression meadows, or limesink ponds (dolines). |
Distribution
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Disjunct from NJ to AL, strictly in Coastal Plain. (AK, DE, GA, NC, NJ, SC) |
Number Left
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Very few occurrences left and very few protected. Recent populations found in Fort Bragg Army Base and Camp Lejeune Marine Base (TNC 1993) |
State/Area
Protection
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State/Area |
Rank |
Status |
Date |
|
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Alabama |
S1 |
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8/28/1991 |
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Delaware |
S1 |
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1/26/1988 |
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Georgia |
S2 |
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7/13/1995 |
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New Jersey |
S1 |
E |
9/6/1989 |
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North Carolina |
S3 |
T |
1/1/2002 |
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South Carolina |
S2 |
SC |
6/18/1990 |
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| Conservation,
Ecology & Research |
|
Ecological
Relationships
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• Research indicates that fluctuations in the water table are required for germination (Thornhurst 1995)
• Periodic fire is necessary to reduce competition from woody species (NatureServe 2001) |
Threats
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• Wetland (habitat) modification
• Silvicultural practices
• Fire suppression
(NatureServe 2001) |
Current Research Summary
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• Bernadette Plair (Center for Research of Endangered Wildlife, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden) has conducted work on the micropropagation of Rhexia aristosa to increase numbers for research and possible reintroduction as part of an IMLS-funded research on a technique for long-term germplasm storage of shoot-tips. |
Current Management Summary
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Presently no management plan exists for Rhexia aristosa (NatureServe 2001). |
Research Management Needs
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• Protection of habitat and natural hydrologic processes
• Surveys to determine abundance and occurrence
• Pollination research |
Ex Situ Needs
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Seed collection from populations not currently represented in collection (only 4 populations represented in collection at NCBG) |
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| Books (Single Authors)
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| Godfrey, R.K.; Wooten, J.W. 1981. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern United States: Dicotyledons. Athens: University Georgia Press. 933p. |
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| Radford, A.E.; Ahles, H.E.; Bell, C.R. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. 1183p. |
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| Small, J.K. 1933. Manual of the southeastern flora. New York, NY: Hafner Publishing Company. 1505p. |
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| Books (Sections)
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| Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC. |
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| Electronic Sources
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| NatureServe. (2008). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. [Internet].Version 7.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. Accessed: (June 17, 2008). |
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| Plair, B.; Pence, V.C. (2000). Poster: Abiotic Stress. Abs # 386: Cryopreservation of in vitro grown shoot tips of Crotalaria avonensis and Rhexia aristosa by encapsulation-vitrification. American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB). http://www.rycomusa.com/aspp2000/public/P33/0062.html. Accessed: 2002. |
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| Journal Articles
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| Britton, N.L. 1890. A New Species of Rhexia. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanic Club. 17: 14-15. |
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| Kral, R.; Bostick, P.E. 1969. The genus Rhexia (Melastomataceae). Sida. 3, 6: 387-440. |
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| Wurdack, J.J.; Kral, R. 1982. The genera of Melastomataceae in the Southeastern United States. Journal The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. 63: 429-439. |
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| Reports
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| 1995. 1995 Annual report on taxa in the national collection for North Carolina Botanical Garden. Annual report to the Center for Plant Conservation. p.1. |
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| Bennett, S.H.; Nelson, J.B. 1991. Distribution and status of Carolina Bays in South Carolina. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources. Dept. Nongame and Heritage Trust Section. |
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| Schafale, M.P.; Weakley, A.S. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina: third approximation. Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, North Carolina Dept. of Environment, Health and Natural Resources. |
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| Sutter, R.D.; Boyer, M. 1994. The seed bank of three rare species in southeastern pond cypress savannas: Rhexia aristosa, Lobelia boykinii, and Oxypolis canbyii. Chapel Hill, NC: Unpublished report. Southeast Regional Office of the Nature Conservancy. |
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| Sutter, R.D.; Frantz, V.; McCarthy, K.A. 1987. Atlas of rare and endangered plant species in North Carolina. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Dept. Agriculture, Plant Protection Section, Conservation Program. p.174. |
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| TNC. 1993. Rare and endangered plant survey and natural area inventory of Fort Bragg and Camp MacKall military reservations, North Carolina. Sandhills Field Office: Final report by The Nature Conservancy. |
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| Wharton, Charles H. 1978. The natural environments of Georgia. Atlanta: Georgia Department of Natural Resources. p.227. |
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| Theses
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| Schneider, R.E. 1988. The effect of variation in season of burning on a pine-wiregrass savanna in the Green Swamp, North Carolina. [Ph.D. Thesis]: Duke University. Durham, N.C. |
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| Thunhorst, Gwendolyn A. 1995. The seed bank as a buffer to change in population size, distribution, and genetic composition in the rare plant Rhexia aristosa at Antioch Church Bay with implications to conservation. [M.A. Thesis]: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 85p. |
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