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Home/Species/ Le Conte's Thistle

Cirsium lecontei

Torr. & Gray

Le Conte's Thistle

G3Vulnerable Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.158669
Element CodePDAST2E1M0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderAsterales
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusCirsium
Synonyms
Carduus lecontei(Torr. & A. Gray) Pollard
Other Common Names
Le Conte's thistle (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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-11
Change Date2015-09-29
Edition Date2024-09-11
Edition AuthorsOliver, L. (2002), rev. A. Treher (2015), rev. Soteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Cirsium lecontei is a perennial herb in wet pine savannas and bogs endemic to the coastal plain of the southeastern United States from eastern North Carolina south to the Florida panhandle west to southeastern Louisiana, though it is possibly extirpated in the middle portion of its range in South Carolina and Georgia. The species is uncommon or occasional to rare across its range, and most of the extant populations tend to be small. While many occurrences are protected, the species faces threats from development, conversion to pine plantation, rights-of-way maintenance, fire suppression, and invasive species. This species has had rangewide declines which are difficult to quantify. Monitoring of populations should be conducted to improve our understanding of reproduction, plant abundance, threats, and trends, as well as continuing conservation measures to protect the taxon.
Range Extent Comments
Cirsium lecontei occurs on the coastal plain of the southeastern United States in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia (possibly extirpated), the Florida panhandle, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana (FNA 2006, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be approximately 200,050 square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are 87 occurrences rangewide, excluding populations that were failed to find (1), historic (2), and potentially extirpated (1) (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024). A single occurrence is presumed extant in South Carolina since the habitat appears intact on aerial imagery, though most South Carolina occurrences have been lost from habitat conversion to agriculture or silviculture (Ungberg, pers. comm., 2024). Rangewide field surveys of potentially historic occurrences are needed to determine if plants are extant.
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by residential and commercial development, conversion of habitat to pine plantation, rights-of-way maintenance, fire suppression, invasive species, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Cirsium lecontei grows in "wet loamy pine savannas, seepage bogs," and it is found in (often low and moist to wet) pine flatwoods (where co-occurring species include Myrica, Cyrilla, and Ilex), grassy (often moist to wet) pine savannas and pine barrens, bogs (where co-occurring species include pitcher plants, Ilex, sedges, grasses, and sphagnum), and roadside ditches/low rights-of-way (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). It is frequently associated with anthills.
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeWoodland - ConiferSavanna
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fen
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
GeorgiaSHYes
MississippiS3Yes
LouisianaS2Yes
South CarolinaS1Yes
AlabamaS1Yes
North CarolinaS2Yes
FloridaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownModerate - slightHigh (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
2.2 - Wood & pulp plantationsUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownSerious - slightHigh (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroadsUnknownSerious - slightHigh (continuing)
4.2 - Utility & service linesUnknownSerious - slightHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
SavannahApalachicola National Forest1,927
References (20)
  1. Amoroso, Jame. Personal communication. Botanist. North Carolina Heritage Program, NC Dept. of Environment, Health, & Natural Resources, Division of Parks And Recreation, Raleigh, NC.
  2. Amoroso, J. L., ed. 2002. Natural Heritage Program list of the rare plant species of North Carolina. N. C. Dep. Environ., Health, Nat. Resour., Div. Parks and Recreation, Nat. Heritage Prog. Raleigh. 85 p.
  3. Clewell, A.F. 1985. Guide to vascular plants of the Florida panhandle. Florida State Univ. Press, Tallahassee, Florida. 605 pp.
  4. Cronquist, A. 1980. Vascular flora of the southeastern United States. Vol. 1. Asteraceae. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. 261 pp.
  5. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 19. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 6: Asteraceae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 579 pp.
  6. Georgia Natural Heritage Program. 2004, 22 October last update. Special concern plant species in Georgia. Online. Available: http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/content/specialconcernplants.asp (Accessed 2005).
  7. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  8. Godfrey, R.K., and J.W. Wooten. 1981. Aquatic and wetland plants of southeastern United States: Dicotyledons. Univ. Georgia Press, Athens. 933 pp.
  9. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  10. 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.
  11. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  12. Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 1183 pp.
  13. Reid, C. 2004. Rare plant species of Louisiana. Louisiana Natural Heritage Program, Baton Rouge, LA. Available: http://www.wlf.state.la.us/apps/netgear/clientFiles/lawlf/files/LA%20Rare%20Plant%20List%20-%202004.pdf
  14. Small, J.K. 1933. Manual of the southeastern flora. Two volumes. Hafner Publishing Company, New York.
  15. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  16. Ungberg, Eric. Personal communication. Lowcountry Botanist, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Heritage Trust Program, Georgetown, SC.
  17. Weakley, A. S. 2006. Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and surrounding areas. Working draft of 17 January 2006. University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm (accessed 2006).
  18. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.
  19. Wunderlin, R.P. and B.F. Hansen. 2003. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida. 2nd edition. University Press of Florida, Tampa. 788 pp.
  20. Wunderlin, R.P. and B.F. Hansen. 2011. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida, 3rd edition. University Press of Florida, Tampa. 800 pp.