Articles on Plant Conservation
On this page we will periodically list articles on issues of plant and land conservation and restoration, specific plants, climate change and more. Articles may be available directly, or we will post a link.
If you have a suggestion, or have written an article that you would like to have posted, contact us.
If you have a suggestion, or have written an article that you would like to have posted, contact us.
Are We Losing Paradise?
The gorgeous scenery of North Carolina, from the coast to the mountains, attracts millions of tourists each year and is made possible by our tremendous biological diversity, one of the highest in the country. For that and many other reasons, we work to secure our native plants species. Let’s not let this paradise slip away from us. You can help keep North Carolina proud of its natural heritage.
Here are some things that you can do to support the conservation of rare and endangered plant species, keeping North Carolina a paradise of flora and fauna:
What Is An Endangered Plant?
We have 421 plant species in North Carolina now identified as Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern Vulnerable. Of those, 26 are also included on Federal lists. For the sake of simplicity, we often refer to these species as “imperiled.”
"Endangered species" means any species of plant whose continued existence as a viable component of the State's flora is determined to be in jeopardy by the Plant Conservation Board; also, any species of plant determined to be an "endangered species" pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act.
"Threatened species" means any resident species of plant which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range, or one that is designated as threatened by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service. See: http://www.ncagr.gov/plantindustry/plant/plantconserve/Laws.htm This url leads to the NC Plant Conservation Act.
“Special Concern-Vulnerable” means any species of plant whose populations are declining to such an extent that they warrant observation and attention to prevent them from becoming threatened or endangered.
Any species of plant in North Carolina that is determined to be Endangered at the Federal level is automatically placed on the NC Protected Plants list. Examples are Echinacea laevigata, Smooth Coneflower, and Geum radiatum, Spreading Avens.
There are species at risk in North Carolina that may have healthy populations in other states. Examples include Baptisia australis var. aberrans, Prairie Blue Wild Indigo and Rubus dalibarda, Robin Runaway.
The full list of 421 NC imperiled species is available on our website. The 26 imperiled species in North Carolina that also appear on the Federal list are:
Aeschynomene virginica, Sensitive Jointvetch, Threatened
Amaranthus pumilus, Seabeach Amaranth, Threatened
Cardamine micranthera, Small-anthered Bittercress, Endangered
Carex lutea, Golden Sedge, Endangered
Echinacea laevigata, Smooth Coneflower, Endangered
Geum radiatum, Spreading Avens, Endangered
Gymnoderma lineare, Rock Gnome Lichen, Endangered
Helianthus schweinitzii, Schweinitz's Sunflower, Endangered
Helonias bullata, Swamp Pink, Threatened
Hexastylis naniflora, Dwarf-flowered Heartleaf, Threatened
Hudsonia montana, Mountain Golden-heather, Threatened
Isotria medeoloides, Small Whorled Pogonia, Threatened
Liatris helleri, Heller's Blazing-star, Threatened
Lindera melissifolia, Pondberry, Endangered
Lysimachia asperulifolia, Rough-leaf Loosestrife,Endangered
Oxypolis canbyi, Canby's Dropwort, Endangered
Ptilimnium nodosum, Harperella, Endangered
Rhus michauxii, Michaux's Sumac, Endangered
Sagittaria fasciculata, Bunched Arrowhead, Endangered
Sarracenia jonesii, Mountain Sweet Pitcher Plant, Endangered
Sarracenia oreophila, Green Pitcher Plant, Endangered
Schwalbea americana, Chaffseed, Endangered
Sisyrinchium dichotomum, White Irisette, Endangered
Solidago spithamaea, Blue Ridge Goldenrod, Threatened
Spiraea virginiana, Virginia Spiraea, Threatened
Thalictrum cooleyi, Cooley's Meadowrue, Endangered
Here are some things that you can do to support the conservation of rare and endangered plant species, keeping North Carolina a paradise of flora and fauna:
- Volunteer to work with rare plant monitoring or restoration efforts. SIGN UP
- Practice good land stewardship on your own property. HERE’S HOW - coming soon
- Avoid planting invasive, non-native plants in your garden or yard, and assist with efforts to remove them from your neighborhood. INVASIVES
- Plant native plant species grown from seed in your home garden. SOURCES Note: The NC Native Plant Society lists nurseries that do not sell invasive species and do not dig from the wild.
- Help to teach your neighbors and friends about rare plants. MATERIALS - coming soon
- Reduce your energy use. IDEAS - coming soon
- Support local and state land use planning efforts that avoid or minimize impacts to preserves and significant natural resource areas. coming soon
What Is An Endangered Plant?
We have 421 plant species in North Carolina now identified as Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern Vulnerable. Of those, 26 are also included on Federal lists. For the sake of simplicity, we often refer to these species as “imperiled.”
"Endangered species" means any species of plant whose continued existence as a viable component of the State's flora is determined to be in jeopardy by the Plant Conservation Board; also, any species of plant determined to be an "endangered species" pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act.
"Threatened species" means any resident species of plant which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range, or one that is designated as threatened by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service. See: http://www.ncagr.gov/plantindustry/plant/plantconserve/Laws.htm This url leads to the NC Plant Conservation Act.
“Special Concern-Vulnerable” means any species of plant whose populations are declining to such an extent that they warrant observation and attention to prevent them from becoming threatened or endangered.
Any species of plant in North Carolina that is determined to be Endangered at the Federal level is automatically placed on the NC Protected Plants list. Examples are Echinacea laevigata, Smooth Coneflower, and Geum radiatum, Spreading Avens.
There are species at risk in North Carolina that may have healthy populations in other states. Examples include Baptisia australis var. aberrans, Prairie Blue Wild Indigo and Rubus dalibarda, Robin Runaway.
The full list of 421 NC imperiled species is available on our website. The 26 imperiled species in North Carolina that also appear on the Federal list are:
Aeschynomene virginica, Sensitive Jointvetch, Threatened
Amaranthus pumilus, Seabeach Amaranth, Threatened
Cardamine micranthera, Small-anthered Bittercress, Endangered
Carex lutea, Golden Sedge, Endangered
Echinacea laevigata, Smooth Coneflower, Endangered
Geum radiatum, Spreading Avens, Endangered
Gymnoderma lineare, Rock Gnome Lichen, Endangered
Helianthus schweinitzii, Schweinitz's Sunflower, Endangered
Helonias bullata, Swamp Pink, Threatened
Hexastylis naniflora, Dwarf-flowered Heartleaf, Threatened
Hudsonia montana, Mountain Golden-heather, Threatened
Isotria medeoloides, Small Whorled Pogonia, Threatened
Liatris helleri, Heller's Blazing-star, Threatened
Lindera melissifolia, Pondberry, Endangered
Lysimachia asperulifolia, Rough-leaf Loosestrife,Endangered
Oxypolis canbyi, Canby's Dropwort, Endangered
Ptilimnium nodosum, Harperella, Endangered
Rhus michauxii, Michaux's Sumac, Endangered
Sagittaria fasciculata, Bunched Arrowhead, Endangered
Sarracenia jonesii, Mountain Sweet Pitcher Plant, Endangered
Sarracenia oreophila, Green Pitcher Plant, Endangered
Schwalbea americana, Chaffseed, Endangered
Sisyrinchium dichotomum, White Irisette, Endangered
Solidago spithamaea, Blue Ridge Goldenrod, Threatened
Spiraea virginiana, Virginia Spiraea, Threatened
Thalictrum cooleyi, Cooley's Meadowrue, Endangered
ATTENTION: “The impacts of human-caused climate change are no longer subtle – they are playing out, in real time, before us,” says Prof Michael Mann, at Penn State University in the US. “They serve as a constant reminder now of how critical it is that we engage in the actions necessary to avert ever-more dangerous and potentially irreversible warming of the planet.”
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Secondary Invasion: The Bane of Weed Management
Dean E. Pearson , Yvette K. Ortega , Justin B. Runyon , Jack L. Butler
Abstract
Exotic plant invasions present a global threat to natural ecosystems, yet the efficacy of management efforts in
mitigating invader impacts remains unclear. A rapidly emerging problem is that of secondary invasion — an increase in abundance of non-target exotics following treatment of targeted invasive plants. Here, we present a
global literature review and meta-analysis directed at quantifying the magnitude of secondary invasion effects
and identifying possible causes. Of 168 studies examining the efficacy of exotic plant management in terrestrial
habitats, 29% quantified community responses sufficiently to evaluate secondary invasion. Meta-analysis of 60
cases from 38 studies showed that control efforts strongly reduced target invader abundance overall, but secondary invaders increased, with a mean effect size double what was found for native plants, which increased only weakly. Moreover, 89% of the secondary invaders identified were classified as noxious or invasive plants. Increases in secondary invaders were correlated with target invader reductions, but control method and target invader growth form failed to explain variation in secondary invader responses. These results suggest that target
invader suppression is the key factor driving release of secondary invaders. However, management side effects,
target invader legacy effects, provenance effects, and shifting environmental conditions may all facilitate secondary invasion. Invasive plant management often successfully suppresses target invaders, but the result is largely secondary invasion. Addressing this problem requires management strategies that anticipate and suppress secondary invaders while rapidly restoring native plants to fill the space vacated by the target weed. Accomplishing the latter will require improved re-vegetation techniques.
Full article available for download for free until April 2017 from Science Direct: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320716300726
Click on the article in which you are interested:
Time for a Change: patterns of sex expression, health and mortality in a sex-changing tree (courtesy of the author)Plant Conservation for Gardeners
Urbanization, Biodiversity, and Conservation
Contribution of Inbreeding to Extinction Risk in Threatened Species
Estimation of Growth and Extinction Parameters for Endangered Species
Bogs and Associated Wetlands: Southern Blue Ridge Mountains
Population Genetic Consequences of Small Population Size
Time for a Change: patterns of sex expression, health and mortality in a sex-changing tree (courtesy of the author)Plant Conservation for Gardeners
Urbanization, Biodiversity, and Conservation
Contribution of Inbreeding to Extinction Risk in Threatened Species
Estimation of Growth and Extinction Parameters for Endangered Species
Bogs and Associated Wetlands: Southern Blue Ridge Mountains
Population Genetic Consequences of Small Population Size