''Narthecium americanum'' is a species of flowering plant in the

Nartheciaceae Nartheciaceae is a family of flowering plants. The APG III system places it in the order Dioscoreales, in the clade monocots. As circumscribed by APG IV (2016) it includes 35 species of herbaceous plants in the following five genera: * ''Aletris ...

known by the common names yellow asphodel and bog asphodel. It is native to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in the United States. It is now apparently limited to that state, having likely been

extirpated Local extinction, also known as extirpation, refers to a species (or other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases to exist in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinct ...

from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

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 = ...

.''Narthecium americanum''.
Center for Plant Conservation.''Narthecium americanum''.
The Nature Conservancy. This

rhizomatous 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 ...

perennial herb produces an erect stem 25 to 45 centimeters tall. It has narrow linear leaves up to 20 centimeters long by just a few millimeters wide around the base of the stem. Smaller leaves occur higher on the stem. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a dense

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

of yellow flowers that bloom in June and July. The fruit is a papery, beaked capsule a centimeter long or slightly longer. It contains yellow seeds.''Narthecium americanum''.
Flora of North America. This plant lives in the

Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-barre ...

of New Jersey, where it grows along three

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

of the

Mullica River The Mullica River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in southern New Jersey in the United States. The Mullica was once known as the ''Little Egg Ha ...

, including the Wading and

Batsto River The Batsto River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Mullica River in the southern New Jersey Pine Barrens in the United States.Gertler, Edw ...

s. It grows in

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

s, wet

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s, and other wet habitat types. It may experience flooding, but it does not persist in standing water. It is more abundant in openings in the canopy than in shaded areas. Associated plant species include ''

Oclemena nemoralis ''Oclemena nemoralis'', common names bog aster or bog nodding aster, is a plant native to the northeastern United States. Its range extends into southeastern Canada. Conservation status It is listed as endangered in Connecticut and Pennsylvani ...

'', '' Calamagrostis pickeringii'', ''

Calamovilfa brevipilis ''Calamovilfa'' is a genus of North American plants in the grass family native to the United States and Canada. ; Species * ''Calamovilfa arcuata'' K.E.Rogers - OK AL AR TN GA KY * ''Calamovilfa brevipilis'' (Torr.) Scribn. - NJ NC SCA ...

'', ''

Juncus caesariensis ''Juncus'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants, commonly known as rushes. It is the largest genus in the family Juncaceae, containing around 300 species. Description Rushes of the genus ''Juncus'' are herbaceous plants that superfici ...

'', '' Lophiola americana'', '' Muhlenbergia torreyana'', ''

Platanthera integra ''Platanthera integra'', the yellow fringeless orchid, is a member of the orchid family with yellow flowers. It is native to the Southeastern United States from eastern Texas to North Carolina plus a few isolated populations in Delaware and New ...

'', ''

Pogonia ophioglossoides ''Pogonia ophioglossoides'', the snakemouth orchid or rose pogonia, is a species of orchid occurring from central Canada to the east-central and eastern United States. It is the type species of the genus '' Pogonia''. It is pollinated by bees. Th ...

'', '' Rhynchospora oligantha'', ''

Schizaea pusilla ''Schizaea pusilla'', the little curlygrass fern, is a species of fern in the family Schizaeaceae. It was first described by the German-American botanist Frederick Traugott Pursh Frederick Traugott Pursh (or Friedrich Traugott Pursch) (Februar ...

'', and '' Tofieldia racemosa''. ''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

'' mosses are also common in the habitat. Degradation of the habitat is now the most important threat to the species. Habitat was lost when it was converted to agricultural uses, such as

cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species ''Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

bogs, but direct habitat loss is not a major threat now. Most of the populations are now protected in the Pine Barrens. However, habitat degradation does occur via alteration of the local

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

and the process of

succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...

. Any lowering of the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. T ...

in the Pine Barrens is likely to impact the

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

, which requires a water table near the surface.

Fire suppression Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...

is a likely cause of succession, characterized by the overgrowth of large and woody vegetation. This increases shade in the habitat, which negatively affects this and many other species in the herb layer. Other threats include

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with dee ...

s and picking and collecting of plants.

Beaver dam A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers to create a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way t ...

s may cause flooding of patches of habitat, which kills the plant.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6966410 Nartheciaceae Flora of the Eastern United States Plants described in 1812