''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 Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...

, where there are about 100 known populations remaining, many of which are within the bounds of the

Ocala National Forest The Ocala National Forest ls the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida. It covers of northern Florida. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville. The Ocala National For ...

.Center for Plant Conservation
The plant has declined in recent decades primarily due to the development of its habitat, which is being converted to urban zones and

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

groves.The Nature Conservancy
/ref> This is the primary reason that the plant was federally listed as a threatened species in 1987.USFWS
Determination of threatened status for ''Bonamia grandiflora'' (Florida bonamia).
''Federal Register'' November 2, 1987. This native Florida wildflower is a perennial

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

which trails along the ground to a maximum length around 3 meters. There is a deep root and multiple underground stems. The hairy stem is lined with leathery, gray-green leaves up to 5 centimeters long. The

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. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a single showy flower borne on a short, erect peduncle. The flower corolla opens in the morning, spreading 7 or 8 centimeters wide and up to 10 centimeters long. It is pale to bright blue-purple with a white throat. At the center of the funnel-shaped corolla are five

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 tipped with yellow anthers. The fruit is a capsule around a centimeter in length containing a few seeds. The plant occurs in

Florida scrub Florida sand pine scrub is an endangered subtropical forest ecoregion found throughout Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by an evergreen xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrub ...

habitat on deep, dry, white sand in clearings among sand pines (''Pinus clausa'') and other scrub flora. Other rare plants in the region include highlands scrub hypericum (''Hypericum cumulicola''), papery whitlow-wort (''Paronychia chartacea''),

scrub plum ''Prunus geniculata'' is a rare species of plum known by the common name scrub plum. The species is endemic to Florida. Description This plant is a low, rounded shrub with a gnarled trunk emerging from the sand and branching densely to form ...

(''Prunus geniculata''), and scrub lupine (''Lupinus aridorum''). It is adapted to the occasional

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

that naturally occurs in the scrub habitat. Fire clears brush and heavy forest

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

which shade out the morning glory, providing the clearings that it requires.

Fire suppression Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...

efforts are generally detrimental to the species.

Controlled burn A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...

s and other methods of clearing excessive vegetation are part of the recovery plan. Where the morning glory is provided appropriate habitat, it can become plentiful and even abundant. It has the capacity to introduce itself into newly cleared, sandy plots and take hold vigorously; however, it does not tolerate much disturbance once established.

References

grandiflora Endemic flora of Florida {{Solanales-stub