Mecardonia acuminata

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Mecardonia acuminata
Meca acum.jpg
Photo by John R. Gwaltney, Southeastern Flora.com
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order: Scrophulariales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Mecardonia
Species: M. acuminata
Binomial name
Mecardonia acuminata
(Walter) Small
MECA ACUM dist.jpg
Natural range of Mecardonia acuminata from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Axilflower

Taxonomic notes

Synonyms: Bacopa acuminata (Walter) B.L. Robinson; Pagesia acuminata (Walter) Pennell ssp. typica; Mecardonia acuminata ssp. acuminata

Variety: Mecardonia acuminata (Walter) Small var. microphylla (Rafinesque) Pennell; Mecardonia acuminata (Walter) Small var. peninsularis Pennell

Description

It has been observed to be both frequent and infrequent where it is found. [1]

"Erect, branched, glabrous perennial, the stems angled, 1-5 dm tall, usually blackening on drying. Leaves opposite, firm, oblanceolate to elliptic, mostly 1-4.5 cm long, 5-12 mm wide, distally serrate, sessile or narrowly cuneate to a short, obscure petiole. Peduncles axillary, solitary, about as long, or longer than the subtending leaf, with 2 linear bractlets at the base; sepals 5, linear-lanceolate, 7-9 mm long; corolla white or tinged with lavender, personate, 9-11 mm long; fertile anthers 4, normal. Capsule ellipsoid, 6-8 mm long." [2]

Distribution

Ecology

Habitat

This species has been found along grassy limestone glades in open areas, in floodplain forests, and savannas. [1] It also can be found in human distrubed areas such as parking areas, powerline corridors, and roadside ditches. [1] This species grows in semi-shaded environments wet, limestone, and sandy loam soils. [1] In Louisiana, soils are upland coastal plain type with little slope and low fertility. [3] Associated species include Sporobolus vaginiflorus, Stenaria nigricans, Polygala grandiflora var. angustifolia, Rhynchospora, Fuirena, and Scleria. [1]

Phenology

M. acuminata has been observed flowering in February, August, and September and fruiting in February and September.[1][4]

Seed dispersal

This species is thought to be dispersed by gravity. [5]

Conservation and management

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Ann F. Johnson, Wilson Baker, Robert K. Godfrey, R.A. Norris, R. Komarek, and Lisa Keppner. States and Counties: Florida: Calhoun, Gadsden, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Suwannee, Taylor, and Washington. Georgia: Grady.
  2. Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 938. Print.
  3. Thill, R. E. (1983). Deer and cattle forage selection on Louisiana pine-hardwood sites. New Orleans, LA, USDA Forest Service.
  4. 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: 12 DEC 2016
  5. 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.