''Agalinis paupercula'', commonly known as the smallflower false foxglove, is a

hemiparasitic A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...

annual plant native to the eastern parts of the United States and Canada. Found in open, moist areas, its purple flowers are borne on a stem, and bloom in August and September. The species has often been treated as a variety of '' Agalinis purpurea'', the purple false foxglove, and preliminary genetic evidence suggests that the two are, in fact, a single species.

Description

Individuals of this species are

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

, erect annuals, tall. The smooth stem is four-angled and may be simple or branching. The stem or stems bear opposite, sessile leaves, lacking lobes, which are linear and wide. Leaves on branches may be borne alternately. The flowers appear from August to September. They are borne in

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s, on

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

s of , borne in the leaf axils of the upper leaves. They are surrounded by a

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

of five sepals, fused into a tube at the base and separated into distinct lobes above. The pointed, triangular lobes of the calyx are almost as long as its tube. Within the calyx lies the

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

of the flower, which is campanulate (bell-shaped) and pink to purple in color, with five slightly irregular, spreading lobes. The corolla is in length. The tube of the corolla tends to bulge on the underside. Within the flower are four

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s and a flattened stigma, the lower pair of stamens longer than the upper. The filaments are hairy near the base. The flowers mature into

globose A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is the ce ...

to subglobose,

loculicidal Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that o ...

fruits. ''Agalinis paupercula'' is quite similar to ''A. purpurea'', and may represent a variety of that species. The two can be distinguished by the smaller flowers of ''A. paupercula'' (''A. purpurea'' has a corolla of ), and by the long lobes of the calyx, which in ''A. purpurea'' are typically not more than half the length of the calyx tube.

Taxonomy

The taxon was originally described by

Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually excl ...

in 1878 as ''Gerardia purpurea'' var. ''paupercula'', a variety of the purple false foxglove. He distinguished it from more typical specimens of ''G. purpurea'' by its smaller flowers, taller stem, and lighter color. In 1894, Nathaniel Lord Britton recognized it as a separate species, ''G. paupercula''. He transferred it, with the rest of the North American ''Gerardia'', to '' Agalinis'', as ''A. paupercula'', in 1913. Genetic studies thus far have been unable to distinguish between ''A. paupercula'' and ''A. purpurea'', and it is possible that the two species will be consolidated again. However, these studies did not sample a large number of ''A. paupercula'' populations and are not definitive.

Distribution and habitat

Distributed throughout the northeast region of the United States and in the eastern regions of Canada, ''A. paupercula'' is classified as Threatened in the state of New York, and Endangered in the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. It is only present on Long Island at

Ronkonkoma Lake Lake Ronkonkoma is a freshwater lake in Suffolk County, New York. It is a kettle lake formed by retreating glaciers and is the largest freshwater lake on Long Island; it has a circumference of about and is across on average. The lake is owned ...

. ''Agalinis paupercula'' prefers a sunny, moist habitat. Such areas include bogs, shores, barrens, and in sandy soil.

Ecology

''Agalinis paupercula'' is a

hemiparasite A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...

, deriving some of its nutrients from the roots of woody and herbaceous plants around it. It is

self-compatible Self-incompatibility (SI) is a general name for several genetic mechanisms that prevent self-fertilization in sexually reproducing organisms, and thus encourage outcrossing and allogamy. It is contrasted with separation of sexes among individuals ...

when mating.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4691142 paupercula Flora without expected TNC conservation status Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of Eastern Canada