''Iliamna corei'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the

mallow family Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar o ...

known by the common name Peters Mountain mallow. 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 ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the United States, where it is known only from

Peters Mountain Peters Mountain is a mountain in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It is located on the border between Alleghany County, VA, Monroe County, WV, Giles Co.,VA, and Craig Co.,VA. Its elevation ranges from on the mountaintop to a l ...

in Giles County. A single occurrence remains. This is a federally listed

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

. It is considered "one of the rarest native plants in the United States."''Iliamna corei''.
Center for Plant Conservation. This species has sometimes been included within the description of ''

Iliamna remota ''Iliamna remota'', commonly known as the Kankakee mallow, is an endangered species of flowering plant in the mallow family. It is endemic to a single location, the Langham Island in Kankakee River State Park, in the US state of Illinois. Des ...

'', but

genetic analysis Genetic analysis is the overall process of studying and researching in fields of science that involve genetics and molecular biology. There are a number of applications that are developed from this research, and these are also considered parts of ...

suggests it be maintained as a species in its own right.Bodo Slotta, T. A. and D. M. Porter (2006)
Genetic variation within and between ''Iliamna corei'' and ''I. remota'' (Malvaceae): implications for species delimitation.
''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society'' 151:3 345. This plant is a perennial herb producing an erect stem up to 1.5 meters tall and bearing pink flowers.''Iliamna corei''.
NatureServe Explorer. The leaves are divided into wide, pointed lobes and the herbage is hairy. There is one small population of this plant located on Peters Mountain in western Virginia. In 1990, this population contained only three or four individuals.USFWS
''Iliamna corei'' Five-year Review.
October 2008. The plants grow on nooks in a

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

outcrop that have accumulated a small amount of soil. The population is so small that remaining individuals are

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

. Conservation efforts are focused on increasing the plant's numbers to improve

genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is dis ...

. This plant is dependent on

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 ...

. Its seeds require

scarification Scarification involves scratching, etching, burning/branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification or body art. The body modification can take roughly 6–12 months to heal. In the p ...

in order to

germinate Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fer ...

. This is naturally accomplished during fires, when the heat breaks the tough outer layer of the seed. When plants are propagated by hand, the seeds must be scarified by nicking the outer surface with a blade or soaking them in acid or boiling water. A conservation plan for the species will include establishing a normal

fire regime A fire regime is the pattern, frequency, and intensity of the bushfires and wildfires that prevail in an area over long periods of time. It is an integral part of fire ecology, and renewal for certain types of ecosystems. A fire regime describes th ...

for the habitat.

References

Malveae Flora of Virginia Flora of the Appalachian Mountains Endemic flora of the United States Critically endangered flora of the United States {{Malveae-stub