Harperella endangered in OK

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The Spring 2013 issue of Biosurvey news from the Oklahoma Biological Survey announced that federally endangered Harperella is now also endangered in OK.

US Forest Service
"Harperella is an aquatic, primarily annual herb. The inflorescence is an umbel of small white flowers quite similar to other members of the carrot family. The most distinguishing character of the plant is its unusual leaf form. Leaves are reduced to a hollow, septate central stalk, or "rachis leaf"—an adaptation to a semi-aquatic habitat. Harperella blooms from May through October. Population sizes may vary dramatically from year to year in response to water levels. The Oklahoma population was found along a river in the southeastern part of the state and included two stands of approximately 500 plants."

The link in the first line above will take you to the original article.


Comments

Anonymous said…
So many plants have been hitting the endangered list across the country. This one has a very long bloom time too. I have to click your link for more info. I like learning about what we might be losing in native habitats. Sad....
May 20, 2013 at 6:47 PM
Molly Day said…
Hi -
I'm afraid that those of us who plant natives as fast as we can on our little slice of planet earth cannot slow the progress of the devastation around the globe.
So, I keep planting.
How about you?
May 28, 2013 at 7:03 AM
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