Dicerandra cornutissima
Encyclopedia
Dicerandra cornutissima is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family
known by the common name longspurred mint, longspurred balm, and Robin's mint. It is endemic to Florida
in the United States. It is found in Marion County
, and possibly Sumter County
, but it may have been totally extirpated
from the latter. There are 15 known occurrences remaining. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species
in 1985.
This species was formerly included within the description of its relative, Dicerandra frutescens
. It was separated, elevated to species status, and described by Robin B. Huck in 1981. The new species is distinguished from D. frutescens in its darker, deeper pink flowers, its larger anthers, the smaller amount of hairs on its style
, and a well-separated geographical distribution.
This is a strong-scented aromatic shrub
growing up to about half a meter tall. The erect stems grow from a woody base. The oppositely arranged leaves are linear in shape, 1.5 centimeters long, smooth-edged, and dotted with visible oil glands. The flower has a corolla just under a centimeter long with a bent, tubular throat and lobed lips. The corolla is dark pink or purplish with purple spotting and a paler throat. The anthers have hornlike spurs, which, at over a millimeter long, are relatively large.
The plant grows in Florida scrub
habitat and nearby sandhill
s. The scrub is dominated by stands of sand pines and several species of oak
. Species in the understory
include saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), scrub palmetto
(Sabal etonia), and Florida rosemary
(Ceratiola ericoides). The sandy ground may be covered with various lichen
s, such as Cladina evansii, Cladina subtenuis, and Cladonia leporine, and grass species such as wiregrass
(Aristida stricta) and arrowfeather threeawn (A. purpurascens).
The loss of this Florida scrub habitat is the greatest threat to the survival of this species. Six of the fifteen remaining occurrences are in protected areas. Land is lost to urban development
. The remaining territory is degraded because of the lack of proper land management
. Although fire in the area is rare, it is required in this fire-adapted habitat type to maintain the ecosystem
. Periodic fire clears out overgrown vegetation and creates the openings in the pine and oak canopy that this and many other species require. Controlled burn
s would be beneficial but these are difficult in this region because of nearby residential neighborhoods. Fires that start naturally are extinguished. Other threats to the plant include introduced plant species
such as Natal grass (Rhynchelytrum repens).
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
known by the common name longspurred mint, longspurred balm, and Robin's mint. It is endemic to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the United States. It is found in Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
, and possibly Sumter County
Sumter County, Florida
Sumter County is a county located in the state of Florida, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 53,345. The 2006 Census estimate puts its population at 68,768 . Its county seat is Bushnell, Florida and the largest incorporated municipality is Wildwood, Florida. The Villages,...
, but it may have been totally extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
from the latter. There are 15 known occurrences remaining. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in 1985.
This species was formerly included within the description of its relative, Dicerandra frutescens
Dicerandra frutescens
Dicerandra frutescens is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names scrub mint and scrub balm. It is endemic to Highlands County, Florida, where it is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge. Its habitat is quickly being lost as it is converted to residential and...
. It was separated, elevated to species status, and described by Robin B. Huck in 1981. The new species is distinguished from D. frutescens in its darker, deeper pink flowers, its larger anthers, the smaller amount of hairs on its style
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
, and a well-separated geographical distribution.
This is a strong-scented aromatic shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing up to about half a meter tall. The erect stems grow from a woody base. The oppositely arranged leaves are linear in shape, 1.5 centimeters long, smooth-edged, and dotted with visible oil glands. The flower has a corolla just under a centimeter long with a bent, tubular throat and lobed lips. The corolla is dark pink or purplish with purple spotting and a paler throat. The anthers have hornlike spurs, which, at over a millimeter long, are relatively large.
The plant grows in Florida scrub
Florida scrub
Florida scrub is an endangered temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the state of Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by a xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrubs and dwarf oaks. Scrub soils, a type of entisol, are derived...
habitat and nearby sandhill
Sandhill
A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and become more oak dominated.Entisols are the typical...
s. The scrub is dominated by stands of sand pines and several species of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
. Species in the understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
include saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), scrub palmetto
Sabal etonia
Sabal etonia, commonly known as the scrub palmetto is a species of palm which is endemic to Florida and southeast Georgia.-Description:...
(Sabal etonia), and Florida rosemary
Ceratiola ericoides
The Sandhill-rosemary, Florida-rosemary or Sand heath, Ceratiola ericoides, is a shrub usually included in the plant family Ericaceae, though treated by some botanists in the Empetraceae....
(Ceratiola ericoides). The sandy ground may be covered with various lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s, such as Cladina evansii, Cladina subtenuis, and Cladonia leporine, and grass species such as wiregrass
Aristida stricta
Aristida stricta is a warm-season grass, native to North America, that dominates understory vegetation in sandhills and flatwoods coastal plain ecosystems of the Southeastern United States...
(Aristida stricta) and arrowfeather threeawn (A. purpurascens).
The loss of this Florida scrub habitat is the greatest threat to the survival of this species. Six of the fifteen remaining occurrences are in protected areas. Land is lost to urban development
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
. The remaining territory is degraded because of the lack of proper land management
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
. Although fire in the area is rare, it is required in this fire-adapted habitat type to maintain the ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
. Periodic fire clears out overgrown vegetation and creates the openings in the pine and oak canopy that this and many other species require. Controlled burn
Controlled burn
Controlled or prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning or Swailing is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for...
s would be beneficial but these are difficult in this region because of nearby residential neighborhoods. Fires that start naturally are extinguished. Other threats to the plant include introduced plant species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
such as Natal grass (Rhynchelytrum repens).