Lechea mucronata

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Lechea mucronata
Lech mucr.jpg
Photo by Shirley Denton (Copyrighted, use by photographer’s permission only), Nature Photography by Shirley Denton
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order: Violales
Family: Cistaceae
Genus: Lechea
Species: L. mucronata
Binomial name
Lechea mucronata
Raf.
LECH MINO dist.jpg
Natural range of Lechea mucronata from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: hairy pinweed[1]

Taxonomic notes

Synonyms: Lechea villosa Elliott; [1]

Varieties: L. villosa var. typica[1]

Description

Frequent within sandhill habitats.[2]

Distribution

L. mucronata ranges from New Hampshire to Michigan and Oklahoma, them south to peninsular Florida, Texas, and northern Mexico.[1]

Ecology

Habitat

This species has been found in open areas in sandy soils of longleaf pine, scrub oak, wiregrass sand ridges as well as sandhills in general.[2] It has also been found in human disturbed areas around garbage dumps and powerline corridors (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include Longleaf pine and wiregrass.[2]

L. mucronata was found to increase its occurrence in response to soil disturbance by agriculture in South Carolina coastal plain and longleaf pine communities.[3] It has shown regrowth in reestablished native longleaf pine habitats that were disturbed by agricultural practices, making it an indicator species for post-agricultural woodlands.[4] However, L. mucronata was found to be neutral in its long-term response following cessation of repeated soil disturbance.[5]

Phenology

This species has been observed flowering in June[6] and fruits July through October.[1]

Seed dispersal

This species is thought to be dispersed by consumption by vertebrates.[7]

Fire ecology

Lechea mucronata occurs in areas that are burned.[2]

Conservation, cultivation, and restoration

Cultural use

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Weakley, A.S. 2020. Flora of the Southeastern United States. Edition of 20 October 2020. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: R.A. Norris, R.F. Doren, R. Komarek, Cecil R. Slaughter, and Lisa Keppner. States and Counties: Florida: Duval, Leon, St. Johns, and Washington. Georgia: Coffee and Grady.
  3. Brudvig, L.A. and E.I. Damchen. (2011). Land-use history, historical connectivity, and land management interact to determine longleaf pine woodland understory richness and composition. Ecography 34: 257-266.
  4. Brudvig, L.A., E Grman, C.W. Habeck, and J.A. Ledvina. (2013). Strong legacy of agricultural land use on soils and understory plant communities in longleaf pine woodlands. Forest Ecology and Management 310: 944-955.
  5. Dixon, C. M., K. M. Robertson, A. M. Reid and M. T. Rother. 2024. Mechanical soil disturbance in a pine savanna has multiyear effects on plant species composition. Ecosphere 15(2):e4759.
  6. Nelson, G. PanFlora: Plant data for the eastern United States with emphasis on the Southeastern Coastal Plains, Florida, and the Florida Panhandle. www.gilnelson.com/PanFlora/ Accessed: 19 MAY 2021
  7. Kirkman, L. Katherine. Unpublished database of seed dispersal mode of plants found in Coastal Plain longleaf pine-grasslands of the Jones Ecological Research Center, Georgia.