Home/Species/ Navasota Ladies'-tresses

Spiranthes parksii

Correll

Navasota Ladies'-tresses

G3Vulnerable Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →

G3VulnerableGlobal Rank

VulnerableIUCN

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146077

Element CodePMORC2B0R0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

IUCNVulnerable

CITESAppendix II

Endemicendemic to a single state or province

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassMonocotyledoneae

OrderOrchidales

FamilyOrchidaceae

GenusSpiranthes

Other Common Names

Navasota ladies'-tresses (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

A member of the Spiranthes cernua complex (FNA 2002a). A systematic study of this complex, treated S. parksii as a synonym of S. cernua s.s. (Pace and Cameron 2017).

Conservation Status

Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x

Review Date2014-08-10

Change Date1989-11-14

Edition Date2014-08-10

Edition AuthorsOgle, Y., rev. C. Russell, rev. Poole/Maybury (1996), Rev. Treher)

Threat ImpactUnknown

Range Extent<100-250 square km (less than about 40-100 square miles)

Number of Occurrences21 - 80

Rank Reasons

Primarily known from 2 river drainages in east-central Texas, with 1 location in east Texas. Although about 100 populations with a total of about 10,000 plants are currently known, many of the sites are threatened by strip mining. Rapid urban expansion has also encroached on some of the species' habitat.

Range Extent Comments

Texas endemic found in eastern Texas along the Navasota River, primarily in Grimes and Brazos counties. Also been found in Burleson, Washington, Madison, Leon, Robertson, Limestone, Freestone, Bastrop, Lee and Jasper Counties in Texas (Walters 2005).

Occurrences Comments

97 EOs reported but it is unclear which are extant. Pine (2003) reported 75 to 80 distinct populations occurring historically at 138 sites in Texas, although noting that many of these sites no longer have orchids. Multiple sites and the plants within them were destroyed as a result of development and mining projects since the species gained federal and state protection in the early 1980s (Pine 2003, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2009).

Threat Impact Comments

Primary threats are habitat disturbance or destruction related to development, mining, agriculture, and other human activities (Pine 2003, Walters 2005). Foraging by feral hogs and wildlife are also threats (Pine 2003). Threats by site are not known.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Margins of post oak (Quercus stellata) woodlands in sandy loams along intermittent tributaries of rivers. Often in areas where edaphic or hydrologic factors (such as high levels of aluminum in the soil or a perched water table) limit competing vegetation in the herbaceous layer. Besides post oak, associated species include water oak (Q. nigra), blackjack oak (Q. marilandica), and yaupon (Ilex vomitoria).

Ecology

Species does not readily recover from significant disturbance to its habitat or colonize areas with extensive disturbance (Pine 2003). Although, it has been found along trails used by wild and domestic animals, near fencerows and in right-of-way areas for power lines (Wonkka et al. 2012).

¿The species requires mycorrhizal fungi (Epulorhiza, specifically) for successful reproduction and germination (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2009, Walters 2005, and Wonkka et al. 2012).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandWoodland - Hardwood

Palustrine Habitats

Riparian

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
Texas	S3	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Pervasive - large	Extreme - serious	High - moderate
1.1 - Housing & urban areas	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areas	Pervasive - large	Extreme - serious	High - moderate
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Pervasive - large	Extreme - serious	High (continuing)
2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching	Pervasive - large	Extreme - serious	High (continuing)
3 - Energy production & mining	Pervasive - large	Extreme - serious	High - moderate
3.2 - Mining & quarrying	Pervasive - large	Extreme - serious	High - moderate
4 - Transportation & service corridors	Pervasive - large	Extreme - serious	High (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroads	Pervasive - large	Extreme - serious	High (continuing)
5 - Biological resource use	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
5.2 - Gathering terrestrial plants	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
6.3 - Work & other activities	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
7 - Natural system modifications	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
7.3 - Other ecosystem modifications	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
8.2 - Problematic native species/diseases	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (1)

Texas (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Big Creek	National Forests in Texas	1,447

References (3)

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 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.
Poole, J.M., and D.H. Riskind. 1987. Endangered, threatened, or protected native plants of Texas. Texas Parks Wildlife Dept., Austin, TX.

Spiranthes parksii

Habitat

Ecology

—