Difference between revisions of "Agalinis purpurea"

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==Description== <!-- Basic life history facts such as annual/perrenial, monoecious/dioecious, root morphology, seed type, etc. -->
 
==Description== <!-- Basic life history facts such as annual/perrenial, monoecious/dioecious, root morphology, seed type, etc. -->
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''Agalinis purpurea'' is an annual plant that acts as a parasite on the roots of grasses and other herbs. The stems are rough with a fine pubescence, grow up to 4-12cm tall, and are profusely branched on the upper 1/2 - 2/3. The leaves are narrow, linear, oppositely arranged and weakly fascicled (clustered), often curled, and pubescent. The flowers occur on terminal raceme clusters, are rose-lavender or (rarely) white in color, and the corolla petals have yellow lines and purple spots. The flowers have 4 stamens and elongated stigmas. .<ref name="Radford 1964">Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. 1964, 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press. 960 pp. Print.</ref>
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''Agalinis purpurea'' is an annual plant that is parasitic to the roots of grasses and other herbs. The stems are slender, stiff, branched from the upper 1/2 - 2/3, and grow between 4 - 12 cm tall. The leaves are opposite (rarely weakly fascicled), narrowly linear to lanceolate, often curled, grow 1 - 4 cm long and 0.5 - 2 mm wide, covered in stiff short hairs (hispidulous) and sometimes will have tufts on the shoots.<ref name="radford"/>
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<!--Annual. Parasitic to the roots of grasses and other herbs. Leaves are opposite, linear to filiform, and sometimes will have tufts on the shoots. Flowers are showy, in terminal racemes; the calyx is 5-parted, the lobes are shorter than the tube; the corolla is 5-parted. The flowers are rose-lavender in color and are rarely white. There are usually 2 yellow lines and numerous purple spots in the throat on the tube. The tube is broad, campanulate, and the lobes are shorter than the tube. The throat is usually lanose at the base of the 2 upper corolla lobes. There are 4 stamens, didynamous, that include filaments and anthers that are also lanose. The stigmas are elongated. The capsules are globose or subglobose, loculicidal.<ref name="Radford 1964">Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. 1964, 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press. 960 pp. Print.</ref>  
 
  
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Stems are puberulent or scaberulous and are striate-angled, growing up to 4-12cm tall. It is profusely branched form the upper half to 2/3 of the stem, the branches are spreading. The leaves are opposite and is rarely weakly fascicled. The leaves are linear to narrowly linear-lanceolate, and are often curled, 1-4cm long, 0.5-2mm wide, and is hispidulous above. The terminal racemes indistinct. The pedicels are 1-4mm long, and are usually shorter than the calyx tube or sometimes equaling the size of the calyx tube. The calyx tube is 3-4mm long, truncate or nearly so. The lobes are reduced to minute with subulate teeth being 0.3-2mm long. The corolla is 1.8-3.8cm long and puberulent. The throat of the corolla is lined with yellow and has purple spots. The corolla is lanose at the base of the 2 upper corolla lobes. The capsules are subglobose and are 4-6mm long or broad. Flowers in August until frost <ref name="Radford 1964"/>. -->
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The flowers are showy, in terminal racemes with 5 sepals and 5 rose-lavender or (rarely) white petals; the petal lobes are shorter than the broad, bell-shaped, 3 - 4 mm tube. The flower is 18 - 38 mm long and puberlent (covered in fine downy hairs). There are usually yellow lines and purple spots in the throat of the tube. The throat is usually lanose (covered in wooly hairs) at the base of the 2 upper petal lobes. There are 4 stamens, didynamous, that include filaments and anthers that are also lanose. The stigmas are elongated. The 4 - 6 mm long capsules (dry fruit) are globose or subglobose and will open in a loculicidal (split down the length) fashion.<ref name="radford">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. 960. Print.</ref>
  
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==

Revision as of 09:22, 22 June 2021

Agalinis purpurea
Agal purp.jpg
Photo by Alan Cressler
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Order: Lamiales
Family: Orobanchaceae
Genus: Agalinis
Species: A. purpurea
Binomial name
Agalinis purpurea
(L.) Pennell
AGAL PURP dist.jpg
Natural range of Agalinis purpurea from USDA NRCS Plant database.

Common names: Smooth gerardia; Purple false foxglove

Taxonomic notes

Synonyms:Gerardia purpurea var. purpurea; Gerardia purpurea Linnaeus.[1]

Description

Agalinis purpurea is an annual plant that is parasitic to the roots of grasses and other herbs. The stems are slender, stiff, branched from the upper 1/2 - 2/3, and grow between 4 - 12 cm tall. The leaves are opposite (rarely weakly fascicled), narrowly linear to lanceolate, often curled, grow 1 - 4 cm long and 0.5 - 2 mm wide, covered in stiff short hairs (hispidulous) and sometimes will have tufts on the shoots.[2]

The flowers are showy, in terminal racemes with 5 sepals and 5 rose-lavender or (rarely) white petals; the petal lobes are shorter than the broad, bell-shaped, 3 - 4 mm tube. The flower is 18 - 38 mm long and puberlent (covered in fine downy hairs). There are usually yellow lines and purple spots in the throat of the tube. The throat is usually lanose (covered in wooly hairs) at the base of the 2 upper petal lobes. There are 4 stamens, didynamous, that include filaments and anthers that are also lanose. The stigmas are elongated. The 4 - 6 mm long capsules (dry fruit) are globose or subglobose and will open in a loculicidal (split down the length) fashion.[2]

Distribution

It is frequent in all of Florida. Found from west to Texas, north to Massachusetts.[3]

Ecology

Habitat

Agalinis purpurea is found in a wide variety of soils in low, wet, sandy or peaty areas such as stream sides and moist depressions within frequently burned pine communities; seepage slopes, fresh water marshes, cypress flats, and hardwood swamps. It also occurs on shallow limerock soils of slash pine rocklands in South Florida, as well as in high, well drained sandhills (Entisols). It occurs primarily in high light conditions, although it can also occur in relatively shaded habitats such as cypress and hardwood swamps.[4] It is tolerant of high densities of grass and sedges such as in pitcher plant bogs and marshes. It is considered an early invader of disturbed soils, yet persists as other species colonize in savannas. [5] It also can be found alongside roads, bordering flatwoods, powerline corridors, and other disturbed areas.[4]

Associated species include those in the following genuses: Pinus, Quercus, Cyrilla, Panicum, Hyptia, Eriocaulon, Aletris, and others.[4]

Phenology

It flowers from April to November, primarily in October, and fruits from May to November.[4] Agalinis purpurea has been observed to flower from August to December in north Florida.[6]

Seed bank and germination

Agalinis purpurea was absent from the seed bank of ephemeral ponds in Hyannis though they were present as adults. The composition of the seed bank often predicts the future composition of plants after the disturbance of water level drawdown.[7]

Fire ecology

Communities are near fire-dependent communities such as longleaf pine/wiregrass communities.[4]

Pollination and use by animals

A. purpurea is visited by pollinators such as Perdita gerardiae (family Andrenidae) and Anthophorula micheneri (family Apidae), and is a host to aphids such as Aphis nerii (family Aphididae).[8] This species has been observed to host other pollinators such as Melissodes sp. (family Apidae) and Megachile sp. (family Megachilidae).[9] Caterpillars of the butterfly Junonia coenia (buckeye) feed on the foliage.[9][10]

Diseases and parasites

A. purpurea is a hemiparasitic species capable of extracting sugars and proteins from a host, along with surviving without a host by preforming photosynthesis.[11] In the absence of a host, it grows autotropically and can complete its lifecycle without a host. When a host is present, reception of chemical signals enable the parasitic mode causing root elongation to slow and accelerated growth of haustorium. Haustorium are not present unless a host is present.[12]

Compatible host plants for A. purpurea include Carya illinoinensis[1], Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Nyssa sylvatica[2], Pinus elliottii[3], P. palustris[4], P. strobes, P. taeda[5], Populus deltoides, Quercus alba, Q. shumardii, and Taxodium distichum.[11]

Conservation, cultivation, and restoration

Cultural use

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. ↑ Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-atlantic states. Working Draft of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 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. 960. Print.
  3. ↑ Hall, David W. 1993. Illustrated Plants of Florida and the Coastal Plain: based on the collections of Leland and Lucy Baltzell. A Maupin House Book. Gainesville. 342 pp. Print.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Robert K. Godfrey, John Morrill, J. M. Canne, Grady W. Reinert, O. Lakela, P. Genelle, G. Fleming, A. H. Curtiss, Duval, John C. Semple, L. Brouillet, Wilson Baker, Jane Brockmann, and J. Ferborgh. States and Counties: Florida: Franklin, Wakulla, Leon , Taylor, Bay, Jefferson, Nassau, Collier, Citrus, Putnam, Monroe, Dade, and Jackson. Georgia: Thomas.
  5. ↑ Miller, J. H. and K. V. Miller (1999). Forest plants of the southeast, and their wildlife uses Champaign, IL, Southern Weed Science Society.
  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:12/7/16
  7. ↑ Neill, C., M. O. Bezerra, et al. (2009). "Distribution, species composition and management implications of seed banks in southern New England coastal plain ponds." Biological Conservation 142: 1350-1361.
  8. ↑ Discoverlife.org [6]
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 [[7]]Illinois Wildflowers. Accessed: March 22, 2016
  10. ↑ Observation by Roger Hammer in Silver Springs State Park, Marion County, FL. September 2016, posted to Florida Flora and Ecosystematics Facebook Group August 4, 2017.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Riopel, J. L. and L. J. Musselman (1979). "Experimental Initiation of Haustoria in Agalinis purpurea (Scrophulariaceae)." American Journal of Botany 66(5): 570-575.
  12. ↑ Wm. Vance, B. and J. L. Riopel (1984). "Experimental Studies of Haustorium Initiation and Early Development in Agalinis purpurea (L.) Raf. (Scrophulariaceae)." American Journal of Botany 71(6): 803-814.
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