''Sabatia stellaris'', with the common names rose of Plymouth,
marsh pink, salt-marsh pink, and sea-pink; is a species of ''
Sabatia
''Sabatia'', the rose gentians, is a genus of about 20 species of flowering plants in the family Gentianaceae, native to eastern and central North America (Nova Scotia west to Wisconsin and New Mexico, and south to Florida and Texas), Central A ...
''. It has the
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
''Sabatia maculata'' (Benth.) Benth. & Hook.f., ''Sabatia palmeri'' Gray, ''Sabatia purpusii'' Brandeg., ''Sabatia simulata'' Britt.).
Distribution
The plant is
endemic to the
Eastern United States, where it occurs on the
Atlantic and
Gulf coasts, from
Massachusetts south to
Florida and west to
Louisiana. It is a
halophyte, restricted to
salt marsh habitats, where it is threatened by the
invasive species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
''
Phragmites australis''.
[
]
Description
''Sabatia stellaris'' is an annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...
growing to 20 cm tall in the northern part of its range, and up to 50 cm tall in the south of the range.
The leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are arranged in opposite pairs, narrow to broad elliptic in shape, with narrow leaves in Florida, and broad leaves in New England; the change in leaf shape is clinal, and cannot be separated into discrete subspecies or varieties.[
The flowers are pink or white, with five or six corolla lobes ('petals'). The fruit is a dry capsule containing up to 600 seeds.][
]
Conservation
''Sabatia stellaris'' is listed as endangered in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.[New England Plant Conservation Program]
''Sabatia stellaris'' Pursh (Sea pink) Conservation and Research Plan for New England
(pdf file)[Connecticut Botanical Society]
/ref>
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7395939
stellaris
Halophytes
Flora of the Eastern United States
Endemic flora of the United States
Endangered flora of the United States
Taxa named by Frederick Traugott Pursh
Flora without expected TNC conservation status