Nuttallanthus floridanus

From Coastal Plain Plants Wiki
Revision as of 16:07, 16 February 2016 by Michellesmith (talk | contribs) (Photo Gallery)
Jump to: navigation, search
Nuttallanthus floridanus
Insert.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Tracheophyta - Vascular plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Nuttallanthus
Species: N. floridanus
Binomial name
Nuttallanthus floridanus
(Chapm.) D.A. Sutton
Nutt flor dist.jpg
Natural range of Nuttallanthus floridanus from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Apalachicola Toadflax

Taxonomic notes

Synonym: Linaria floridana Chapm.

The genus Nuttallanthus was separated from Linaria in 1988 by Sutton due to the floral and seed characteristics (Phillip and Elisens 2006).

Description

This species is an annual herb that produces bluish, bilabiate, and spurred flowers that attract a variety of insects (Phillip and Elisens 2006).

Distribution

N. floridanus is a narrowly distributed species occurring in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississppi (Phillip and Elisens 2006).

Ecology

Habitat

Habitats include sparsely vegetated white sands along lakes, scrubs, sand dunes, and dry sandhills[1]. It has been observed growing in disturbed areas such as roadsides. Associated species include Krigia virginica and Crocanthemum (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

Flowers and fruits in March (FSU Herbarium).

It is an autogamous species and produces both cleistogamous and chasmogamous flowers. The cleistogamous flowers are produced early and late in the life cycle and the chasmogamous flowers are self-pollinated before anthesis and attract insects after anthesis (Phillip and Elisens 2006).

Seed dispersal

The seeds are small and lack obvious dispersal mechanisms (Carrington 1997).

Seed bank and germination

Carrington (1997) found that germination depends on seeds accumulated in a persistent seed bank to maintain populations between disturbances.

Pollination

Pollen is required for fruit and seed development. It is completely cross-incompatible with other Nuttallanthus species due to the amount of genetic divergence between species and isolation (Phillip and Elisens 2006).

Photo Gallery

References and notes

Carrington, M. E. (1997). "Soil Seed Bank Structure and Composition in Florida Sand Pine Scrub." American Midland Naturalist 137(1): 39-47.

Phillip, T. C. and W. J. Elisens (2006). "Genetic Variation and Reproductive System among North American Species of Nuttallanthus (Plantaginaceae)." American Journal of Botany 93(4): 582-591.

  1. [[1]]Accessed: January 20, 2016