''Leavenworthia exigua'', also known as the Tennessee gladecress, is a member of the mustard family. Tennessee gladecress is an annual plant that is native to southern United States. It is a fruit-bearing plant, with squarish leaves that fall off one the fruit is present and ripened. Tennessee gladecress is a beautiful plant during its blooming season, as it produces a light-lilac colored, small flower.

Description

''Leavenworthia exigua'' is a member of the Leavenworthia

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

along with seven other species. Members of the Leavenworthia genus are often indigenous to southern states, including

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. With seeds that germinate in the fall, ''L.exigua'' are annual winter and spring plants; to find a ''L.exigua'', it may be helpful to look for areas of limestone clades where the soil is damp for the winter and spring seasons. There are three different variations of ''L.exigua'' found in four southern states:

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, Tennessee, Kentucky, and

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 ...

. Due to its rare nature, ''L.exigua''is protected in all four states. ''L.exigua'' reaches approximately in height with a slender, central stalk. Its early leaves are simple, while mature they are arranged in a lobed pattern, often accompanied by a sharp or square end shape. These leaves are arranged around a rosette of leaves, or a small, whorled cluster of leaves. ''L.exigua'' possesses small flowers during the spring seasons, which are identified by having a pale, lilac color. These flowers have four petals with a green, not lilac,

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

Habitat

''L.exigua'' is most found in limestone (cedar) glades where there is a large amount of water found within the gravelly soil. ''L.}exigua'' is germinated in the fall season, where it blooms into a small, rosette of leaves during the winter seasons. During this time, the thin soil is rich in nutrients and water, ideal for the nurturing of ''L.exigua''. The lilac-colored flowers and seeds make their appearance in early spring, which lay dormant during the drier summer season.

Conservation

With nearly half of the cedar glades being lost in southern states, ''L.exigua'' is considered to be an endangered species although abundant in its areas found, ''L.exigua'' is found in very minimal areas. In Georgia, ''L.exigua'' is ranked in the S2 bracket, meaning that it is an imperiled plant species. It is currently located in 24 cedar glades, 17 of which are located on conservational land.

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q15547177 exigua Flora of Alabama Flora of Tennessee Flora of Georgia (U.S. state) Flora of Mississippi Plants described in 1956