Polygonella basiramia
Encyclopedia
Polygonella basiramia is a rare species of flowering plant in the knotweed family
known by the common names wireweed, hairy wireweed, purple wireweed, and Florida jointweed. It is endemic to Florida
in the United States, where it is limited to the central ridges of the peninsula, including the Lake Wales Ridge
. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species
of the United States.
This plant is a perennial herb growing 30 to 80 centimeters tall. The roots of the plant may be much longer than the plant's diameter and spread out under the soil. The wiry stems may branch and may extend beneath the surface of the soil. The plant only has leaves for a short time. They are linear in shape and measure no more than 2 or 3 centimeters in length. The stem and leaves are red to green in color. The plant is gynodioecious
, with some individuals producing bisexual flowers and some producing only female. The inflorescence
, measuring 1 to 3 centimeters long, contains white to pinkish flowers under 2 millimeters long. Blooming occurs around September and fruit production may last until December. The flowers are pollinated
by Perdita polygonellae, a bee which specializes on the plant genus Polygonella, and wasp
s of the family Eumenidae. Female plants produce many more seeds than do hermaphrodite plants. The seeds are very tiny, measuring about 7 by 28 micrometers. The species appears to be resistant to the allelopathic
chemicals released into the soil by Florida rosemary
.
This plant is a member of the Florida scrub
plant community. It occurs in scrub dominated by Florida rosemary, sand pine, other pines, and oaks. The soil is almost entirely composed of sand and it holds little water or nutrients. The plant occurs in openings in the scrub which are maintained by periodic wildfire
s. Other plants in this habitat include Calamintha ashei, Cnidoscolus stimulosus, Eryngium cuneifolium
, Euphorbia floridana, Hypericum cumulicola
, Lechea cernua, Licania michauxii
, Paronychia chartacea
, Polanisia tenuifolia, Polygonella polygama, Selagniella arenicola, and Stipulicida setacea.
Threats to this species include the destruction of its habitat during the conversion to residential and agricultural property, particularly citrus
groves. Off-road vehicle
s are a threat to the habitat. Fire suppression may have a negative effect on this plant, which grows in open gaps in a fire-maintained ecosystem
, but the species appears to be less dependent on fire than many other Florida scrub endemics.
Many plants in this altered, fragmented
region are rare and endangered. Wireweed is one of the more abundant of these, and it can be common in some local areas. As of 2010 there were 119 extant occurrences of the plant for an estimated total exceeding one million individuals. However, it is limited to a very endangered habitat type, putting it in danger of decline.
Polygonaceae
Polygonaceae is a family of flowering plants known informally as the "knotweed family" or "smartweed family"— "buckwheat family" in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers...
known by the common names wireweed, hairy wireweed, purple wireweed, and Florida jointweed. 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, where it is limited to the central ridges of the peninsula, including 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...
. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed 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...
of the United States.
This plant is a perennial herb growing 30 to 80 centimeters tall. The roots of the plant may be much longer than the plant's diameter and spread out under the soil. The wiry stems may branch and may extend beneath the surface of the soil. The plant only has leaves for a short time. They are linear in shape and measure no more than 2 or 3 centimeters in length. The stem and leaves are red to green in color. The plant is gynodioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with some individuals producing bisexual flowers and some producing only female. The 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...
, measuring 1 to 3 centimeters long, contains white to pinkish flowers under 2 millimeters long. Blooming occurs around September and fruit production may last until December. The flowers are pollinated
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
by Perdita polygonellae, a bee which specializes on the plant genus Polygonella, and wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
s of the family Eumenidae. Female plants produce many more seeds than do hermaphrodite plants. The seeds are very tiny, measuring about 7 by 28 micrometers. The species appears to be resistant to the allelopathic
Allelopathy
Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can have beneficial or detrimental effects on the target organisms...
chemicals released into the soil by 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....
.
This plant is a member of 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...
plant community. It occurs in scrub dominated by Florida rosemary, sand pine, other pines, and oaks. The soil is almost entirely composed of sand and it holds little water or nutrients. The plant occurs in openings in the scrub which are maintained by periodic 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...
s. Other plants in this habitat include Calamintha ashei, Cnidoscolus stimulosus, 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...
, Euphorbia floridana, 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...
, Lechea cernua, Licania michauxii
Licania michauxii
Licania michauxii, commonly known as Gopher Apple, is an evergreen shrub. It grows in the sandhills of peninsular Florida as well as coastal Mississippi and Georgia, and its fruit is eaten by wildlife and is being used in cancer research. It fruit is a food source for the gopher tortoise....
, Paronychia chartacea
Paronychia chartacea
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...
, Polanisia tenuifolia, Polygonella polygama, Selagniella arenicola, and Stipulicida setacea.
Threats to this species include the destruction of its habitat during the conversion to residential and agricultural property, particularly 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. Off-road vehicle
Off-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
s are a threat to the habitat. Fire suppression may have a negative effect on this plant, which grows in open gaps in a fire-maintained 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....
, but the species appears to be less dependent on fire than many other Florida scrub endemics.
Many plants in this altered, fragmented
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation as the name implies, describes the emergence of discontinuities in an organism's preferred environment , causing population fragmentation...
region are rare and endangered. Wireweed is one of the more abundant of these, and it can be common in some local areas. As of 2010 there were 119 extant occurrences of the plant for an estimated total exceeding one million individuals. However, it is limited to a very endangered habitat type, putting it in danger of decline.