Difference between revisions 122055697 and 122055699 on dewiki

{{italic title}}
{{taxobox
|image = Echinacea laevigata.jpg
|status = G2
|status_system = TNC
|regnum = [[Plantae]]
|unranked_divisio = [[Angiosperms]]
|unranked_classis = [[Eudicots]]
|unranked_ordo = [[Asterids]]
|ordo = [[Asterales]]
|familia = [[Asteraceae]]
|tribus = [[Heliantheae]]
|genus = ''[[Echinacea]]''
|species = '''''E. laevigata'''''
|binomial = ''Echinacea laevigata''
|binomial_authority = (Boynton and Beadle) Blake
|}}
'''''Echinacea laevigata''''', the '''smooth purple coneflower''',  is an Endangered Species Act [[Endangered Species Act|federally listed]] [[endangered species]]<ref name=fws>USFWS. [http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr2140.pdf ''Echinacea laevigata'' (smooth coneflower) determined to be endangered.] ''Federal Register'' October 8, 1992.</ref> of plant found in the [[Piedmont (United States)|piedmont]] of the southeastern [[United States]]. Most populations are found on roadsides and other open areas with plenty of sunlight, often on [[calcium]]- and [[magnesium]]- rich [[soil]]s. 

Its current range is within the states of [[Virginia]], [[North Carolina]], [[South Carolina]], and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and it was historically also found in [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Maryland]]. It has been rare as long as it has been known, but a number of human activities and associated processes have reduced its range further.<ref name=cpc>[http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/cpc_viewprofile.asp?CPCNum=1541 ''Echinacea laevigata''.] Center for Plant Conservation.</ref> Today there are about 100 occurrences, and many of these are in poor condition.<ref name=tnc>[http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Echinacea+laevigata ''Echinacea laevigata''.] [[The Nature Conservancy]].</ref> The amount of appropriate habitat available for this plant has been greatly reduced and it continues to decline.<ref name=cpc/>

This is a [[rhizome|rhizomatous]] perennial herb that resembles its close relative, the [[Echinacea purpurea|common echinacea]] (''Echinacea purpurea''). The two can be told apart by the leaves, which are cordate ([[Heart (symbol)|heart-shaped]]) in the common species.<ref name=fws/><ref name=cpc/><ref name=tnc/> ''E. laevigata'' grows up to about 1.5 meters in height with a mostly naked, smooth, leafless stem. Any leaves are roughly lance-shaped. On top of the stem is a [[head (botany)|flower head]] containing narrow pink or purplish ray florets up to 8 centimeters long.<ref name=rec>USFWS. [http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/950418.pdf Smooth Coneflower Recovery Plan.] April 1995.</ref> The florets droop away from the center of the head. The small, tubular disc florets in the center are dark purple in color.<ref name=cpc/> Blooming occurs in May through July.<ref name=tnc/> The plant is [[Pollination|pollinated]] by a number of insects, including [[honeybee]] (''Apis mellifera''), [[Bombus|bumblebees]] (''Bombus'' spp.), the bees ''[[Psithyrus citrinus]]'' and ''[[Eastern carpenter bee|Xylocopa virginica]]'', a number of [[Butterfly|butterflies]], and ''[[Lygaeus kalmii]]'', a [[Hemiptera|bug]].<ref name=thesis>Gadd, L. E. (2006). [http://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/ir/bitstream/1840.16/1884/1/etd.pdf Pollination biology of the federally endangered ''Echinacea laevigata'', smooth coneflower, in small, isolated populations.] Master's thesis, North Carolina State University. pg 13.</ref> The fruit is an [[achene]] about half a centimeter long which is likely [[seed dispersal|dispersed]] by birds and small mammals that collect them for food. Some [[vegetative reproduction]] has been observed with more than one stem coming from a shared rhizome or aboveground rosette of leaves.<ref name=rec/>

The natural habitat for this species of plant is sunny openings in forested habitat. Open areas of this kind were made by [[wildfire]], fires set by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]],<ref name=tnc/> and the [[grazing]] activity of animals.<ref name=cpc/> The plant's preferred soils are rich in calcium and magnesium, and include [[limestone]] and [[marble]], [[gabbro]], and [[diabase]].<ref name=fws/> Plants that share the habitat included [[Juniperus virginiana|eastern red cedar]] (''Juniperus virginiana'') and [[Eryngium yuccifolium|rattlesnake master]] (''Eryngium yuccifolium''). There are several species of [[oak]] that occur, but these are stunted such that sunlight reaches the [[understory]].<ref name=rec/> When human impacts began to reduce the amount of forest habitat remaining in the region, the plant survived in other open, sunny habitat types, such as cedar barrens, [[Clearcutting|clearcuts]], roadsides, cleared areas around utility equipment, and limestone bluffs. Two thirds of the populations known since the plant was first discovered are now gone.<ref name=tnc/> 

Populations of the plant were lost when the habitat was destroyed, or when it was degraded as natural processes of disturbance were prevented. The plant requires open habitat where it can receive sunlight. When [[fire suppression]] is practiced, the habitat becomes overgrown, and the open areas close; this has led to the [[local extinction|extirpation]] of a number of historical populations.<ref name=fws/> Habitat was destroyed outright during development, [[agriculture|agricultural operations]], road construction, and installation of utilities such as gas lines.<ref name=fws/> 

Continuing threats to the species include further destruction and degradation of the land, collecting of the plant by flora enthusiasts, [[vandalism]], [[herbicide]]s, and [[introduced species|exotic plant species]]. When the plant was listed as an endangered species in 1992, most of the populations were small, with many containing fewer than 100 plants each, and half were located on roadsides where they are vulnerable to destruction.<ref name=fws/> There is a fear that this plant may be targeted for commercial harvest in the [[Herbalism|pharmaceutical echinacea]] trade, but there is little evidence of this threat so far.<ref name=fws/><ref name=tnc/>

[[Conservation biology|Conservation]] efforts underway include research on the most effective method of restoring the natural cycle of disturbance to the land, for example, by initiating [[controlled burn]]s.<ref name=cpc/><ref name=ncnhp>[http://www.ncnhp.org/Images/113.pdf ''Echinacea laevigata''.] North Carolina Natural History Program.</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
* {{cite book | author=[[Neltje Blanchan|Blanchan, Neltje]] | title=[[Wild Flowers Worth Knowing]] | year=[[2005]] | publisher=[[Project Gutenberg|Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation]]}}
==External links==
*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ECLA USDA Plants Profile]
[[Category:Echinacea|laevigata]]
[[Category:Flora of the Southeastern United States]]
[[Category:Endangered flora of the United States]]

[[ar:قنفذية لامعة]]