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GEOCARPONMINIMUM(CARYOPHYLLACEAE), NEWTOTEXAS EricLKeith JasonR.Singhurst RavenEnvironmentalServices TexasParl<sandWildlifeDept. P.O.Box6482 4200SmithSchoolRoad Huntsville,Texas77342,U.S.A. Austin,Texas77342,U.S.A. [email protected] StanCook Temple-InlandForestProducts 700N.TempleDr. Diboll,Texas7594,U.S.A. ABSTRACT Gcocarponminimum,afederallythreatenedspecies,isdocumentedforthefloraofTexasforthefirst time.Approximately200plantswerefoundinanextensivesalineprairienearthefloodpfainofthe NechesRiverinAndersonCountyTexas.Includedisageneraldescriptionofthehabitat,known distributionofthespecies,andassociatedflorainTexas. RESUMEN Geocarponmtirimum,unaespeciedelalistafederaldeplantasamenazadasdeextincionsedocumenta paralafloradeTexasporprimeravez.Seencontraronaproximadamente200plantasenunallanura saladacercadelallanuradeinundaciondelNechesRiver(oRioNeches)enelcondadodeAnderson, Texas.Seincluyeunadescripciongeneraldelhabitat,ladistribucionconocidadelaespecie,yla floraasociadaenTexas. GeocarponminimumMacKenzie(geocarpon,tinyTim,earthfruit)islistedasa federallythreatenedspeciesbytheU.S.FishandWildlifeServiceandiscur- rentlyknownfromArkansas,northwesternLouisiana,andsouthwesternMis- souri(MacKenzie1914;Moore1958;Mclnniset.al.1993;USDA,NRCS2004; USFWS1993).InMissouri,Geocarponminimumoccursingladesandotheropen, sparselyvegetatedareasonshallowsoilsoversandstoneoutcrops,ofteninshal- lowdepressions(Morgan1980;Palmer&Steyermark1950;Steyermark,et.al 1959;Thurman1989;USFWS1993).InArkansasitistypicallyfoundinsparsely vegetatedareasonsalineprairies(Moore1958;Orzell&Bridges1987;Pittman 1988;Rettig1983;Shepherd1987;USFWS1993).Soilsinbothhabitattypesare highinmagnesiumorsodium(Rettig1983).Thisspecieswasbroughttothe attentionoftheformerTexasNaturalHeritageProgramin1993byPeggyHorner oftheMissouriDepartmentofConservationaspotentiallyoccurringinnorth- eastTexas.SeveralsurveyswerethenconductedonsalineprairiesinEastTexas, SIDA21(2):1165-1169.2004 1166 BRIT.ORG/SIDA21(2) includingtheDavyCrockettNationalForest,Temple-InlandForestProducts Corp.(Temple)property,andotherprivatelands. Insummerof2003,wediscoveredalargesalineprairiecomplexoccurring onTemplepropertyinAndersonCounty,Texas,justabovethefloodplainofthe NechesRiver.Thisprairiewassurveyedinthesummerandfallof2003and foundtocontainseveralhalophytestypicallyassociatedwithGeocarponmini- mum.InsurveysconductedinearlyMarch2004,approximately200plantsof Geocarponminimumwerediscoveredateightstationsthroughoutthe75acre salinebarrencomplex.Alloftheplantsoccurredontheedgeofsparselyveg- etatedareascommonlyreferredtoa"slickspots"(USFWS1993).Theseslick spotsvaryinsizefromonetoapproximatelythirtysquaremeters.Theyhave veryhighsodmmcontentaridaretypicallydevoidofanyvegetation,withthe exceptionoiSiharavirginica,Talinumparviflorum,Plantagopusilla,'dndCleo- mellaangustijolia.Thisvegetativeedgearoundtheslicksisreferredtoasa"cryp- togamiclip,"whereaspongy,leatherycrustofmossprotonemata,lichens,liv- erwortthalli,Nostocsp.,andtheassociatedmicro-florainteracttocementthe lipinplace(Shepherdpers.comm.;USFWS1993).Woodyspeciesassociated withGeocarponadjacenttotheseslicksincludes,Celtislaevigataspp.laevigata, Crataegusspp.,Juniperusvirginiana,Opuntiamacrorhiza,Pinustaeda,Quercus similis,5ahalminor,Smilaxhona-nox,Vacciniumarboreum,'AndUlmuscrassi- Jolia.AssociatedherbaceousspeciesincludeAnagallisminima,Aphanostephus shirrhohasii,Astranthiumintegrijolium,Chaetopappaasteroides,Cleomella angustifolia.Coreopsistinctoria,Crassulaaquatica,Drababrachycarpa,Evolvu- lussericeus,Gratiola[lava,Houstoniarosea,Houstoniamicrantha,Houstonia pusiUa,Hypericiimdrummondii,lsolepiscarinata,Krigiaoccidentalis,Lepuro- petalonspaihulatum,Ophioglossumcrotalophoroides,Plantagopusilla,Portu- ]acaspp.,Rumexhastatulus,Saginadecumhens,Schoenolirionwrightii,Sedum nuttallianum,Sibaravirginica,Sporobolusvaginiflorus,andTalinumparvif]orum. Thesurroundingtopographyalsoincludesmimamoundswithmicrohighs andlows.TheBrimstoneSiltLoamdescribedinMclnniset.al.(1993)maybe representedinthissalineprairie.However,inCoffee(1975),thisareaisnotdif- ferentiatedfromthesurroundingbottomlandsoiltype,andsalinesoilsarenot mentioned.ThemappedsoilseriesfortheprairieareaisclassifiedasNahatche- WehadkeSoilSerieswithtypicallyloamybottomlandsoils.However,inanolder soilsurveyofAndersonCountyfrom1890,theAndersonCountysalineareas arebrieflydescribed(DepartmentofAgriculture,Insurance,Statistics,and History1890).CollectiondataforGeocarponminimumfollow: UNITEDSTATES.Texas.AndersonCo.:120mNEo[aroadsidepark,0,1miEofthejci.oi'U.S.Hwy 84andNechesRiver;salinebarrencomplex,8Mar2004,J.Sin^hunl12921,E.Keith,S.C.ook,&B. S/iepherd(BAYLU.TEX) KEITHETAL.,GEOCARPONMINIMUMNEWTOTEXAS 1167 Fig.1.CloseupofGeocarponminimum. Fig.2.HabitatofGeocarponminimum.Plantfoundalongedgesof"slickspots.' 1168 BRIT.ORG/SIDA21(2) TAXONOMICDESCRIPTION Glabrouswinterannual,stemssimpleorbranchedatthebase,thebranches few,erectorspreadingascending,mostly3-4cmhighandlessthan0.5mm thick,oftenabrightreddishorpalepurplishcolorLeavessimple,opposite,green orreddishincolor,3-4mmlong,narrowlyoblongorovate-oblong,themar- ginsentire,andtheapexacute.Flowersusuallyaxillary,regular,Funnelform- campanulate;sepals5,3-4mmlong,reddishorreddish-green;petalsabsent; stamens5;staminodes5;ovarysuperior,lance-ovoid,somewhattrigonous,about thelengthofthesepals.Fruitisacapsulecontainingnumerous,funicularseeds, 0.5mmlong(NatureServe2004;Steycrmark1963). ACKNOWLEnCMliNTS AppreciationisgiventoTemple-InlandForestProductsCorp.,whichcurrently ownstheentiresahncprairiecomplexandisconservingthehabitat.Wewould alsoliketothankBillShepherd,retiredbiologistfromtheArkansasNatural HeritageCommission,foraccompanyingusonthecollectingtripandsharing hisexpertiseonGeocarponminimumanditshabitats.Wewouldalsoliketo thankGuyNesomol theBotanicalResearchInstituteol TexasandIVlonique Reed,HerbariumBotanistatTexasA&MUniversity,forcriticalreview^of the paper. RFFF.RENCES Coffee,D.R.1975.SoilSurveyofAndersonCounty,Texas.UnitedStatesDepartmentof AgricultureSoilConservationServiceInCooperation\A/ithTexasAgriculturalExperi- mentStation. DepahimfniofAgricuituki,Insurance,Statistics,andHistory.1890.PapersAccompanyingthe AnnualReportofthieGeologicalSurveyofTexas 1890.www.lib.utexas.edu/books/ dumble/publications/08/08b315a.html MacKinzii,K.K.1914.anewgenusfromMissouri.Torreya14:67-68. MclNNis,N.C.,L.M.SMiiH,andA.B.Piiiman]993.Geocarponminimum(Caryophyllaceae),new toLouisiana.Phytologia75:159-162. MooRE,D.1958.NewrecordsforllieArkansasflora.IV.ProcArkansasAcad.Sci.12:12. Morgan,S,1980.StatusreportonGeocarponminimuminMissouri.MissouriDepartment ofConservation,JeffersonCity,Missouri. NaturlSekvi.2004.NatureServeExplorer:Anonlineencyclopediaoflife[webapplication]. Version4.0.NatureServe,Arlirigton,Virginia.Availablewww.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed:August22,2004). Orzell,S.L.andE.LBridges.1987.Furtheradditionsandnoteworthycollectionsintheflora ofArkansas,withhistorical,ecological,andphytogeographicalnotes.Phytologia64: 81-144. Palmir,E.J.andJ.Suiyermark.1950.NotesonGeocarponminimumMacKenzie.Bull.Torrey Bot.Club77:266-273. KEITHETAL.,GEOCARPONMINIMUMNEWTOTEXAS 1169 PiTTMAN,A.B.1988.Identification,surveyandevaluationofpotentialhabitatsofGeocarpon minimumMacKenzieinArkansas.ArkansasNaturalHeritageCommission,LittleRock, Arkansas. Rettig,J.H. 1983.A new Arkansas station for Geocarponminimum MacKenzie (Caryophyllaceae).Bull.TorreyBot.Club110:213. Shepherd,W.1987.MonitoringofGeocarponminimumatWarrenPrairieNaturalAreain thespringof1987.ArkansasNaturalHeritageCommission,LittleRock,Arkansas. Shepherd,W.2004.PersonalcommunicationontheecologyofGeocorponm/n/mum. Steyermark,J.,J.W.VoiGT,andR.H.Mohlenbrock.1959.PresentbiologicalstatusofGeocarpon minimumMacKenzie.Bull.TorreyBot.Club86:228-235. Steyermark,J.A.1963.FloraofMissouri.IowaStatePress.Ames,Iowa. Thurnaan,cm.1989.AMissourisurveyofsixspeciesoffederalconcern.Finalreport.Mis- souriDepartmentofConservation. USDA,NRCS.2004.ThePLANTSDatabase,Version3.5(plants.usda.gov).NationalPlant DataCenter,BatonRouge,LA70874-4490USA. U.S.FishandWildlifeService(USFWS).1993.RecoveryplanforGeocarponminimum MacKenzie.Atlanta,Georgia.