''Isoetes tegetiformans'', commonly known as mat-forming quillwort or mat-forming Merlin's grass, is an aquatic
lycophyte
The lycophytes, when broadly circumscribed, are a vascular plant (tracheophyte) subgroup of the kingdom Plantae. They are sometimes placed in a division Lycopodiophyta or Lycophyta or in a subdivision Lycopodiophytina. They are one of the oldes ...
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 ...
to the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. It grows exclusively in shallow, temporary pools on granite outcrops, often with only 2 cm of soil. Only 7 populations are known to exist, and three of these have been destroyed since the plant's discovery in 1976. The remaining populations are threatened with
habitat destruction
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...
due to quarrying, though the species is protected under the
U.S. Endangered Species Act. New leaves quickly sprout after fall and winter rains, but during the dry summer months these typically shrivel.
References
External links
Profile at USDA Plants Profile for ''Isoetes tegetiformans''Range Map from Flora of North AmericaIllustration from Flora of North America
tegetiformans
Endemic flora of Georgia (U.S. state)
Critically endangered flora of the United States
{{Lycophyte-stub