Conradina
Encyclopedia
Conradina is a genus
of flowering plant
s in the mint family, Lamiaceae
. Its common name
is False Rosemary, or rarely, short leaf rosemary. There are 7 species
of Conradina, all native
to the southeastern United States
. Conradina verticillata grows on the Cumberland Plateau
in Kentucky
and Tennessee
. The other five grow mainly in Florida. All of the species are closely related and there is some doubt about whether they are all separate. Most species occupy xeric
habitat
s with well-drained soil
s composed of white sand
. The genus Conradina was established by Asa Gray
in 1870. It was named for the American botanist Solomon White Conrad.
False Rosemary is adapted to dune
s and open, scrubby
areas. It is a woody
perennial
shrub
, often with masses of white to lavender blooms in the early spring or fall. These blooms attract several species of bee
s. Conradina often has a scrubby appearance; however some plants seem to have a denser habitus
. Conradina is found growing in association with sand pines and oak
s, and may be a pioneer species
in disturbed areas. Terpenes released from False rosemary are allelopathic, and suppresses the growth of grasses. This is thought to help prevent wildfires. The plants are commonly up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in height.
False Rosemary has been suggested as a landscaping
plant for xeriscaping
because it is drought tolerant and grows well with little water, even in poor soils.
False Rosemary has flowers and scent similar to those of Rosmarinus officinalis.
Until recently, limited scientific study had been published on culinary, medicinal or other properties of Conradina, but it has been shown to be a potential source for numerous essential oil
s and other compounds.
Apart from Conradina verticillata
, which is a triploid, all of the species of Conradina are diploid and have a haploid chromosome number
of 12. Conradina has been the subject of genetic
research.
, Stachydeoma, Piloblephis, Conradina, and four species of the polyphyletic genus Clinopodium
that will eventually be transferred out of that genus. All are shrub
s except Dicerandra. They are indigenous
to the southeastern United States
. Conradina is distinguished from the others by a sharply bent corolla tube.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the mint family, Lamiaceae
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...
. Its common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
is False Rosemary, or rarely, short leaf rosemary. There are 7 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of Conradina, all native
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
to the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Conradina verticillata grows on the Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. The other five grow mainly in Florida. All of the species are closely related and there is some doubt about whether they are all separate. Most species occupy xeric
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s with well-drained soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
s composed of white sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
. The genus Conradina was established by Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
in 1870. It was named for the American botanist Solomon White Conrad.
False Rosemary is adapted to dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s and open, scrubby
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
areas. It is a woody
Woody plant
A woody plant is a plant that uses wood as its structural tissue. These are typically perennial plants whose stems and larger roots are reinforced with wood produced adjacent to the vascular tissues. The main stem, larger branches, and roots of these plants are usually covered by a layer of...
perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
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...
, often with masses of white to lavender blooms in the early spring or fall. These blooms attract several species of bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s. Conradina often has a scrubby appearance; however some plants seem to have a denser habitus
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
. Conradina is found growing in association with sand pines and 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...
s, and may be a pioneer species
Pioneer species
Pioneer species are species which colonize previously uncolonized land, usually leading to ecological succession. They are the first organisms to start the chain of events leading to a livable biosphere or ecosystem...
in disturbed areas. Terpenes released from False rosemary are allelopathic, and suppresses the growth of grasses. This is thought to help prevent wildfires. The plants are commonly up to 1 m (3.3 ft) in height.
False Rosemary has been suggested as a landscaping
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
plant for xeriscaping
Xeriscaping
Xeriscaping and xerogardening refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation...
because it is drought tolerant and grows well with little water, even in poor soils.
False Rosemary has flowers and scent similar to those of Rosmarinus officinalis.
Until recently, limited scientific study had been published on culinary, medicinal or other properties of Conradina, but it has been shown to be a potential source for numerous essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
s and other compounds.
Apart from Conradina verticillata
Conradina verticillata
Conradina verticillata is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Cumberland rosemary, or Cumberland false rosemary, and upland rabbitbane. It is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau in the United States, where it occurs along the Cumberland River and its tributaries...
, which is a triploid, all of the species of Conradina are diploid and have a haploid chromosome number
Ploidy
Ploidy is the number of sets of chromosomes in a biological cell.Human sex cells have one complete set of chromosomes from the male or female parent. Sex cells, also called gametes, combine to produce somatic cells. Somatic cells, therefore, have twice as many chromosomes. The haploid number is...
of 12. Conradina has been the subject of genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
research.
Species
- Conradina brevifoliaConradina brevifoliaConradina brevifolia is a rare species of shrub in the mint family known by the common name short-leaved false rosemary. It is endemic to Central Florida, where it is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge. There are perhaps 36 occurrences of the plant remaining, and 10 of these are likely to be...
- Shortleaf False Rosemary. This species grows in Polk and Highlands counties on the Lake Wales Ridge in Central peninsular Florida. It is listed as federally endangered species. - Conradina cygniflora - described in 2009, known only from Putnam County, Florida.
- Conradina grandiflora - Largeflower False Rosemary. This species grows in counties along the Atlantic coast of Florida. It is listed as a threatened species in the state of Florida.
- Conradina canescens - False Rosemary. This species is found along the gulf coast of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as well as in the sand hills of central Florida. It is the most common and widespread species in the genus.
- Conradina etoniaConradina etoniaConradina etonia is a rare species of shrub in the mint family known by the common name Etonia rosemary. It is endemic to Putnam County, Florida, where it is known from about 8 populations containing fewer than 1000 total individuals. It has a specific habitat requirement and the main threat it...
- Eton Rosemary. Verified in only Putnam County, Florida. A federally endangered species. - Conradina glabraConradina glabraConradina glabra is a rare species of shrub known by the common name Apalachicola rosemary. It is endemic to Liberty County, Florida, where it is known from about ten populations. It is found only in a small area and it is threatened by habitat destruction...
- Apalacicola False Rosemary. Found only in Liberty county, Florida. Listed as a federally endangered species. - Conradina verticillataConradina verticillataConradina verticillata is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Cumberland rosemary, or Cumberland false rosemary, and upland rabbitbane. It is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau in the United States, where it occurs along the Cumberland River and its tributaries...
- Cumberland False Rosemary. Listed as federally threatened, this species occupies the sandy soil of cobble bars along rivers of the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Affinities
Conradina is one of the southeastern scrub mints. This group consists of DicerandraDicerandra
Dicerandra is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family. They are native to the southeastern United States, with several being endemic to Florida...
, Stachydeoma, Piloblephis, Conradina, and four species of the polyphyletic genus Clinopodium
Clinopodium
Clinopodium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. It is in the tribe Mentheae of the subfamily Nepetoideae, but little else can be said with certainty about its phylogenetic position....
that will eventually be transferred out of that genus. All are 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...
s except Dicerandra. They are indigenous
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
to the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Conradina is distinguished from the others by a sharply bent corolla tube.
Sources
- (1) FNAI. 2000. Field Guide to the Rare Plants and Animals of Florida online. Florida Natural Areas Inventory. .
- (2) Godfrey, R.K. 1988. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of northern Florida and adjacent Georgia and Alabama. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. 734p
External links
- Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia
- Conradina In: Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences At: Biodiversity Heritage Library
- CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: A-C At: Botany & Plant Science At: Life Science At: CRC Press
- Compounda from Conradina etonia
- Homepage of Christine E. Edwards
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Database
- Florida Plant Atlas
- Center for Plant Conservation National; Collection of Imperiled Plants