''Helianthus schweinitzii'' is a perennial wildflower endemic to the

Piedmont physiographic province The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States. It is situated between the Atlantic coastal plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New York in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmo ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Its common name is Schweinitz's sunflower. It is a member of the sunflower family (

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

). It is one of the rarest species of sunflower in the United States. It is common along utility and highway rights-of-way in North Carolina and South Carolina. There are only about 90 known populations, many containing less than 40 plants each.“Languishing Species: Southeast, Schweinitz's Sunflower.” National Wildlife Federation, Fair Funding For Wildife, www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Wildlife/SchweinitzsSunflower.pdf. The

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with oth ...

listed Schweinitz's sunflower as an endangered species on May 7, 1991.Hilton Pond Schweinitz Sunflower Recovery
Retrieved on 2008-07-29.

History

Botanists John Torrey (1796-1873) and Asa Gray (1810-1888) first mentioned the species in 1842. It is named for Lewis David von Schweinitz (1780-1834), a

Salem, North Carolina Salem is a census-designated place (CDP) in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,218 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town of Sale ...

clergyman and botanist who discovered the species.

Description

Schweinitz's sunflower grows from 3 to 13 feet (1 to 4 meters) tall. It usually grows to about 6.5 feet and sometimes reaching heights of 16 feet. The sunflower produces tubers and

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

underground. Its stems are purple and usually solitary, branching only at or above mid-stem. Its leaves are thick and stiff, tending to droop towards the end. The sunflower is

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

, and flowers for about two to three weeks in early October.Flora of North America, ''Helianthus schweinitzii'' Torrey & A. Gray, 1842. Schweinitz’s sunflower
/ref>Siler, Robert. “Schweinitz's Sunflower.” South Carolina Wildlife Federation, South Carolina Wildlife Federation, 16 July 2003, www.scwf.org/schweinitzs-sunflower. Schweinitz's sunflower spreads through dispersal of seeds without a dormant period. One plant generally produces 3-6 yellow flower heads. Each head has 8-15

disc floret The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

s surrounding 40 or more disc florets.Schweinitz's Sunflower. Schweinitz's Sunflower, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2011, www.fws.gov/southeast/pdf/fact-sheet/schweinitzs-sunflower.pdf.

Habitat

Schweinitz's sunflower is only found in the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina. The sunflower is generally found growing on shallow, poor, clayey, and/or rocky soils. The flower grows best in full to partial sun. Most populations grow near power line right-of-ways or roadsides. In 2003, 80% of the known populations were found near railways, utility roads, and roadsides. 13 known populations exist in North Carolina today.

Conservation

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed Schweinitz's sunflower as “Endangered” May 7, 1999. The sunflower does not have a designated critical habitat. It is eligible for relisting as “Threatened” under certain circumstances. It met none of the "Threatened" criteria during its 5-year evaluation. It did not meet the “10 geographically distinct, self-sustaining populations are protected in at least 4 counties in North Carolina and one in South Carolina” criteria. Fish and Wildlife Services also failed to choose managers for each population, and design and put in place management plans. Populations were not maintained for 5 years. De-listing has not been discussed, since the requirements are stricter. The sunflower also did not meet "Threatened" criteria within 5 years. Instead of being reclassified, the sunflower was given a new priority number. This new number corresponds to a high level of threat, as well as a high recovery potential and a potential for economic conflict.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1994. Schweinitzs Sunflower Recovery Plan. Atlanta, GA. 28 pp. https://projects.ncsu.edu/cals/plantbiology/ncsc/rare/Recovery_Helianthus.pdf Currently all populations are monitored. Methods of monitoring vary, but no population displayed a steady increase. The number of individuals has increased. The increase is different by population and location, so it does not meet criteria. Since this flower occurs in rapidly-developing areas, some of its greatest threats are human impact. Some threats include: construction and utility workers, industrial developments, and construction improvements. Fire suppression also contributes to loss of population. The

Endangered Species Act of 1973 The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...

protects the sunflower and other wildflower habitats. The North Carolina

Plant Protection Act The Plant Protection Act (PPA) (part of ) is a US statute relating to plant pests and noxious weeds introduced in 2000. It is currently codified at 7 U.S.C. 7701 ''et seq''. It consolidates related responsibilities that were previously spread ...

also protects wildflowers. It limits commercial trade and collection of these flowers without a license. In South Carolina, the state code prohibits “gathering, damaging, or destroying” of all plants on the owned by the state's Department of Natural Resources. There is currently no International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listing for Schweinitz's sunflower.

References

External links

Center for Plant Conservation Species Profile
{{Authority control schweinitzii Flora of North Carolina Flora of South Carolina Plants described in 1842 Taxa named by Asa Gray Taxa named by John Torrey