Physaria globosa
(Desv.) O'Kane & Al-Shehbaz
Globe Bladderpod
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
Very high - highThreat Impact
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.141118
Element CodePDBRA1N0N0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCapparales
FamilyBrassicaceae
GenusPhysaria
Synonyms
Lesquerella globosa(Desv.) S. Wats.
Other Common Names
globe bladderpod (EN) Globose Bladderpod (EN) Lesquereux's Mustard (EN) Short's Bladderpod (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Generally accepted species (e.g., Rollins 1993; Kartesz 1994, 1999; USFWS 2004, FNA 2010).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2015-06-22
Change Date1984-11-05
Edition Date2015-06-22
Edition AuthorsD. White (1997), rev. Pyne/Maybury (1996), rev. Maybury (2002), rev. L. Oliver (2004), rev. L. Morse (2005), rev. A. Treher (2015)
Threat ImpactVery high - high
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Endemic to the Interior Low Plateaus Province, from middle Tennessee through north-central Kentucky and into southern Indiana. twenty-five sites are currently known, most with very few plants in most years, generally about 2,000-2,800 plants altogether. This species exhibits wide population changes from year to year due to variable germination and seedling survival levels in its arid microhabitat (many biennials have a wide fluctuation in numbers from year to year). Road construction and maintenance activities such as herbicide use, grading of road shoulders, and mowing during the growing season continue to threaten many of the sites. Exotic species are also a significant ongoing threat. Some sites adjacent to rivers are threatened by water-level manipulation.
Range Extent Comments
Southwest Indiana, north central Kentucky, and north central Tennessee.
Occurrences Comments
There are 25 extant element occurrences as of 2015 (NatureServe Central Database; USFWS 2004). There are 15 extant occurrences in Tennessee, 6 in Kentucky and one in Indiana. Eight sites are historic, 10 are extirpated, and at 13 sites, no plants were found during the last survey (NatureServe Central Database 2015).
Threat Impact Comments
Although the habitat (cliffs and talus slopes) is mostly unsuitable for other uses, road construction has resulted in the degradation or destruction of several occurrences and continues to be a threat to nearly all occurrences. Specifically, road maintenance activities that have threatened and degraded this species in the past include: bank stabilization, herbicide use, mowing during the growing season, grading of road shoulders and road widening or repaving (Ratzlaff 2001; USFWS, 2004).
Inappropriate water-level manipulation along impoundment shores also threatens this species (USFWS, 2004).
Invasive non-native plants species threaten nearly all populations of this species. Specific non-natives identified as significant potential threats are: Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard), Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover), Melilotis alba (sweet clover), Festuca pratensis (fescue), Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose), and Camassis scilloides (wild hyacinth) (Ratzlaff 2001).
Commercial and residential construction is a threat to this bladderpod at several sites, and can destroy entire populations or severely damage them by sediment runoff from the construction sites (Ratzlaff 2001; USFWS, 2004).
Other human-related threats include trash dumping, and cattle and goat grazing (Ratzlaff 2001; USFWS, 2004). Inappropriate specimen collection for scientific or novelty purposes is a minor threat due to the low numbers of individuals at most sites (USFWS, 2004).
Inappropriate water-level manipulation along impoundment shores also threatens this species (USFWS, 2004).
Invasive non-native plants species threaten nearly all populations of this species. Specific non-natives identified as significant potential threats are: Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard), Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover), Melilotis alba (sweet clover), Festuca pratensis (fescue), Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose), and Camassis scilloides (wild hyacinth) (Ratzlaff 2001).
Commercial and residential construction is a threat to this bladderpod at several sites, and can destroy entire populations or severely damage them by sediment runoff from the construction sites (Ratzlaff 2001; USFWS, 2004).
Other human-related threats include trash dumping, and cattle and goat grazing (Ratzlaff 2001; USFWS, 2004). Inappropriate specimen collection for scientific or novelty purposes is a minor threat due to the low numbers of individuals at most sites (USFWS, 2004).
Ecology & Habitat
Description
Plant an erect short-lived perennial (or biennial) herb whose slender leafy stems radiate from the base, and are 3-5 dm tall, giving it a bushy appearance. Leaves densely hairy, grayish-green, simple and alternate on the stem. Flowers are bright yellow to yellow-orange, cross-shaped, each having 4 spatula-shaped petals about 5 mm long. Fruit is a nearly globe-shaped capsule, about 3 mm in diameter, with 1 or 2 seeds in each cell.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Even though there are many members of the Mustard Family in the range of this species, no other plant shares this combination of characters: bright yellow flowers, grayish-green stems and foliage, globe-shaped fruits with a long style, perennial habit, and the habitat of limestone rocky cliffs.
Habitat
Dry, open limestone ledges on river bluffs, talus of lower bluff slopes, and shale at cliff bases. These are usually south- to west-facing rocky slopes, and the tops, ledges, or bases of steep cliffs, often along major waterways, such as the Cumberland River (Pyne et al. 1995). Also on thin, calcareous soils in cedar glades. The plants should be sought on dry limestone rocks or open rock ledges. The species has also colonized artificial surfaces, especially roadcuts, downhill from natural or semi-natural bluffs.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandOld fieldBare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana | S1 | Yes |
| Tennessee | S2 | Yes |
| Kentucky | S1 | Yes |
Threat Assessments
| Threat | Scope | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Residential & commercial development | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High - moderate |
| 1.1 - Housing & urban areas | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High - moderate |
| 1.2 - Commercial & industrial areas | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High - moderate |
| 2 - Agriculture & aquaculture | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 4 - Transportation & service corridors | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High - moderate |
| 4.1 - Roads & railroads | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High - moderate |
| 5 - Biological resource use | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High - moderate |
| 5.2 - Gathering terrestrial plants | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High - moderate |
| 7 - Natural system modifications | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 7.2 - Dams & water management/use | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 9 - Pollution | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 9.4 - Garbage & solid waste | Pervasive - large | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
Plant Characteristics
DurationBIENNIAL, PERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (2)
Idaho (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek | Caribou-Targhee National Forest | 118,582 |
Kentucky (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Wolfpen | Daniel Boone National Forest | 2,835 |
References (16)
- Bryan, H. 1986. Short's bladderpod, <i>Lesquerella globosa</i>; A candidate for federal listing. Kentucky Native Plant Society.
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2010. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 7. Magnoliophyta: Salicaceae to Brassicaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxii + 797 pp.
- Gleason, H.A. 1952. The new Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 3 volumes. Hafner Press, New York. 1732 pp.
- Gleason, H.A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp.
- Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
- Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Kral, R. 1983a. A report on some rare, threatened or endangered forest related vascular plants of the south. USFS technical publication R8-TP2, Atlanta, GA. Vol. 1: 718 pp.
- Kral, R. 1983c. A report on some rare, threatened, or endangered forest-related vascular plants of the South. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service Technical Publication R8-TP2, Athens, GA. 1305 pp.
- Pyne, M., M. Gay, and A. Shea. 1995. Guide to rare plants - Tennessee Division of Forestry District 5. Tennessee Dept. Agriculture, Division of Forestry, Nashville.
- Ratzlaff, A. 2001. Candidate and listing priority assignment form: Lesquerella globosa. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashevill, North Carolina Office.
- Rollins, R.C. 1993a. The Cruciferae of continental North America: Systematics of the mustard family from the Arctic to Panama. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, California. 976 pp.
- Rollins, R.C., and E.A. Shaw. 1973. The genus <i>Lesquerella </i>(Cruciferae) in North America. Harvard Univ. Press. Cambridge, MA. 288 pp.
- Small, J.K. 1933. Manual of the southeastern flora. Two volumes. Hafner Publishing Company, New York.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2004. Species assessment and listing priority assignment form. <i>Lesquerella globosa</i>. 8 pp.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2013. Endangered Status for <i>Physaria globosa </i>(Short's bladderpod), <i>Helianthus verticillatus </i>(whorled sunflower), and <i>Leavenworthia crassa </i>(fleshy-fruit gladecress). Federal Register 78(149): 47109-47134.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2014. Endangered Status for<i> Physaria globosa </i>(Short’s Bladderpod), <i>Helianthus verticillatus</i> (Whorled sunflower), and <i>Leavenworthia crassa</i> (Fleshy-Fruit Gladecress). Federal Register 79(148): 44712-44718.