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Lechea cernua

Small

Nodding Pinweed

G3Vulnerable Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
HighThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.131114
Element CodePDCIS04010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderViolales
FamilyCistaceae
GenusLechea
Other Common Names
nodding pinweed (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
"As distinct as any Lechea!"
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-11
Change Date1984-11-21
Edition Date2024-09-11
Edition AuthorsWhite, D.L. (1989), rev. C. Nordman (2024).
Threat ImpactHigh
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Nodding Pinweed (Lechea cernua) occurs in the southeastern United States, it is endemic to central and southern Florida. It occurs from Flagler, Lake, and Hernando counties south to Broward and Collier counties, both along the coast and on the Lake Wales Ridge of central Florida. There are estimated to be between 200 and 300 occurrences, including on various conservation lands. It is threatened by loss of scrub habitat, which is being rapidly developed for commercial or residential land uses, or for agriculture.
Range Extent Comments
Nodding Pinweed (Lechea cernua) occurs in the southeastern United States, it is endemic to central and southern Florida. It occurs from Flagler, Lake, and Hernando counties south to Broward and Collier counties, both along the coast and on the Lake Wales Ridge of central Florida. Range extent was estimated to be 71,400 square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1993 and 2024 (FNA 2015, FNAI 2024, GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024, Spaulding 2013, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 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 between 200 and 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Nodding Pinweed (Lechea cernua) is threatened by loss of habitat. Its scrub habitat is being rapidly developed for commercial or residential land uses, or for agriculture.
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Nodding Pinweed is distinguished by the relatively large leaves present when flowering which are densely hairy on both top and underside of the leaves (FNAI 2024). The flowers and fruit are mostly in clusters of 2 or 3, usually on bent and reflexed pedicels (Spaulding 2013). This species is part of the complex in which the outer sepals are shorter than the inner sepals, and in which the ripe capsule is exceeded by or slightly exceeds the calyx. Within that complex it is the only species in which both stem leaf surfaces are hairy and in which the basal leaves are very densely so on both surfaces (Kral 1983).

Habitat

Lechea cernua is always found on open, unshaded deep sands of scrub and scrubby flatwoods, usually on ancient dunes, with evergreen scrub oaks, and often with Florida Rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides), at elevations of 0 to 50 meters. It may be found under mature scattered pine or oak, but is more frequently in sandy openings along with species of Andropogon, Aristida, dryland species of Rhynchospora such as R. megalocarpa, and Cyperus (FNA 2015, FNAI 2024, Kral 1983).

Ecology

"Responds positively to fire and soil (sand) disturbance" (FNAI 2024), Menges & Kohfeldt (1995) found it both resprouted and came up from seed following fire.

Reproduction

Lechea cernua flowers in July and August (Kral 1983).
Terrestrial Habitats
Shrubland/chaparral
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentLarge (31-70%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasLarge (31-70%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areasRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2.1 - Annual & perennial non-timber cropsRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL, SUMMER-FLOWERING
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
References (11)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2015. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 6. Magnoliophyta: Cucurbitaceae to Droserceae. Oxford University Press, New York. 496 pp + xxiv.
  2. Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI). 2024. Field Guide Account for Nodding Pinweed <i>Lechea cernua</i>. Online. Available: https://www.fnai.org/PDFs/FieldGuides/Lechea_cernua.pdf (Accessed 2024).
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  4. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Menges, E.S., and N. Kohfeldt. 1995. Life history strategies of Florida scrub plants in relation to fire. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 122(4): 282-297.
  8. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  9. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  10. Spaulding, D.D. 2013b. Key to the pinweeds (<i>Lechea</i>, Cistaceae) of Alabama and adjacent states. Phytoneuron 2013-99: 1-15.
  11. 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.