Paronychia chartacea
Encyclopedia
Paronychia chartacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common names papery Whitlow-wort and paper nailwort. It is endemic to Florida
in the United States. There are two subspecies of the plant; ssp. chartacea occurs in Central Florida
, especially the Lake Wales Ridge
, and ssp. minima is native to the Florida Panhandle
. The two subspecies are geographically separated and do not occur together. Both are included on the federal Endangered Species List, on which the species is designated threatened.
This is often an annual herb, though ssp. chartacea may be a short-lived perennial. It produces a short, spreading stem that branches many times to take on a mat-like form. The stem is no more than 20 centimeters long. It is lined with occasional small, leathery leaves which are oblong to triangular in form and just a few millimeters long. The ends of the forking stem branches are dense, highly divided cymes of many tiny flowers. The flowers generally have five sepal
s, stamen
s, and other parts, but they may have 3 or 4 parts, a trait unique among the North American Paronychia
species. The sepals are brownish or purplish fading to thinned, papery, whitish or translucent edges. The fruit is a minute utricle
measuring half a millimeter long. The two subspecies differ in size; ssp. minima has a smaller caudex
and smaller inflorescence
s.
This plant grows in small openings in the Florida scrub
, where it is an early successional
species, likely increasing in number after wildfire
clears an overgrown area. It grows in white sand scrub. The Central Florida subspecies, ssp. chartacea, occurs in open areas dominated by rosemary
and sand pine, sometimes colonizing recently disturbed habitat. Other plants and lichen
s in the area include Bonamia grandiflora
, Hypericum cumulicola
, Polygonella basaramia, Cladonia perforata
, Eryngium cuneifolium
, and Liatris ohlingerae
. The northern subspecies, ssp. minima occurs in the white sand edges of ponds and sinkhole
s in karst
substrate. It is present in Bay
and Washington Counties
. Though limited in distribution and threatened by the loss of its natural ecosystem, the plant can be locally common in fragments of remaining habitat.
The main threat to the species is the destruction and degradation of the Florida scrub. This type of habitat is being consumed for development and conversion to agriculture
, such as new citrus
groves. Remaining strips of scrub are degraded in quality because of fire suppression. The scrub depends on periodic wildfire for its maintenance; without a normal fire regime
it becomes overgrown and experiences succession, during which the herb layer is outcompeted and shaded out by larger and woody vegetation, and the open, sunny scrub becomes a forest. Some remaining scrub is managed properly to prevent this succession, and it is here that rare herbs such as the nailwort persist. It is one of many rare local endemic plants that survive on the Lake Wales Ridge, part of which is protected and stewarded. Protected areas are located in Highlands
, Polk
, Lake
, and Orange Counties
.
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
known by the common names papery Whitlow-wort and paper nailwort. 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. There are two subspecies of the plant; ssp. chartacea occurs in Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
, especially the Lake Wales Ridge
Lake Wales Ridge
The Lake Wales Ridge is a low ridge running for about 150 miles south to north in Central Florida. The greater part of the ridge is in Highlands County and Polk County, but it extends north into Osceola, Orange and Lake Counties. It is named for the city of Lake Wales, roughly at the mid point of...
, and ssp. minima is native to the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
. The two subspecies are geographically separated and do not occur together. Both are included on the federal Endangered Species List, on which the species is designated threatened.
This is often an annual herb, though ssp. chartacea may be a short-lived perennial. It produces a short, spreading stem that branches many times to take on a mat-like form. The stem is no more than 20 centimeters long. It is lined with occasional small, leathery leaves which are oblong to triangular in form and just a few millimeters long. The ends of the forking stem branches are dense, highly divided cymes of many tiny flowers. The flowers generally have five sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s, stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s, and other parts, but they may have 3 or 4 parts, a trait unique among the North American Paronychia
Paronychia (plant)
Paronychia is a genus of plants in the pink family with over 110 species worldwide, mostly from warm-temperate North America, Eurasia, South America and Africa. They are herbs that are annual or biennial or perennial in life span. Some species have a woody base...
species. The sepals are brownish or purplish fading to thinned, papery, whitish or translucent edges. The fruit is a minute utricle
Utricle
The utricle, or utriculus, along with the saccule is one of the two otolith organs located in the vertebrate inner ear. The utricle and the saccule are parts of the balancing apparatus located within the vestibule of the bony labyrinth...
measuring half a millimeter long. The two subspecies differ in size; ssp. minima has a smaller caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
and smaller inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s.
This plant grows in small openings in the 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...
, where it is an early successional
Ecological succession
Ecological succession, is the phenomenon or process by which a community progressively transforms itself until a stable community is formed. It is a fundamental concept in ecology, and refers to more or less predictable and orderly changes in the composition or structure of an ecological community...
species, likely increasing in number after wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
clears an overgrown area. It grows in white sand scrub. The Central Florida subspecies, ssp. chartacea, occurs in open areas dominated by 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....
and sand pine, sometimes colonizing recently disturbed habitat. Other plants and 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 in the area include Bonamia grandiflora
Bonamia grandiflora
Bonamia grandiflora is a rare species of flowering plant in the morning glory family known by the common names Florida lady's nightcap, Florida bonamia, and scrub morning glory. It is endemic to Central Florida, where there are about 100 known populations remaining, many of which are within the...
, Hypericum cumulicola
Hypericum cumulicola
Hypericum cumulicola is a rare species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort genus known by the common name highlands scrub St. John's wort, or highlands scrub hypericum. It is endemic to Florida, where it is threatened by habitat loss and degradation...
, Polygonella basaramia, Cladonia perforata
Cladonia perforata
Cladonia perforata is a rare species of lichen known by the common names Florida perforate cladonia and Florida perforate reindeer lichen. It is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States, where it is known from 16 populations in four widely separated areas of the state...
, Eryngium cuneifolium
Eryngium cuneifolium
Eryngium cuneifolium is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names wedgeleaf eryngo, wedge-leaved button-snakeroot, and simply snakeroot. It is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States where it is known only from Highlands County...
, and Liatris ohlingerae
Liatris ohlingerae
Liatris ohlingerae is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Florida blazing star, Florida gayfeather, scrub blazing star, and sandtorch. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it occurs only on the Lake Wales Ridge along with many other rare...
. The northern subspecies, ssp. minima occurs in the white sand edges of ponds and sinkhole
Sinkhole
A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the Earth's surface caused by karst processes — the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks or suffosion processes for example in sandstone...
s in karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
substrate. It is present in Bay
Bay County, Florida
Bay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 163,505 . Its county seat is Panama City, Florida. The county is best known for its white sand beaches and crystal blue water, where large pods of dolphins swim year-round...
and Washington Counties
Washington County, Florida
Washington County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 20,973. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county was 22,299. Its county seat is Chipley, Florida...
. Though limited in distribution and threatened by the loss of its natural ecosystem, the plant can be locally common in fragments of remaining habitat.
The main threat to the species is the destruction and degradation of the Florida scrub. This type of habitat is being consumed for development and conversion to agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, such as new citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
groves. Remaining strips of scrub are degraded in quality because of fire suppression. The scrub depends on periodic wildfire for its maintenance; without a normal fire regime
Fire regime
A fire regime is the pattern, frequency and intensity of the bushfires and wildfires that prevails in an area. It is an integral part of fire ecology, and renewal for certain types of ecosystems. If fires are too frequent, plants may be killed before they have matured, or before they have set...
it becomes overgrown and experiences succession, during which the herb layer is outcompeted and shaded out by larger and woody vegetation, and the open, sunny scrub becomes a forest. Some remaining scrub is managed properly to prevent this succession, and it is here that rare herbs such as the nailwort persist. It is one of many rare local endemic plants that survive on the Lake Wales Ridge, part of which is protected and stewarded. Protected areas are located in Highlands
Highlands County, Florida
Highlands County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the population was 97,346. Its county seat is Sebring, Florida. The county comprises the Sebring, Florida, Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Polk
Polk County, Florida
Polk County is located in central Florida between the Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando metropolitan areas. The county was established by the state government in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War and named after former United States president James K. Polk. The county seat is Bartow and its...
, Lake
Lake County, Florida
Lake County is a county located in the state of Florida, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 210,528. The Census Bureau estimated the population in 2008 to be 307,243. Its county seat is Tavares...
, and Orange Counties
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
.