Home/Species/ Climbing Fetterbush

Pieris phillyreifolia

(Hook.) DC.

Climbing Fetterbush

G4Apparently Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.152000

Element CodePDERI10020

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderEricales

FamilyEricaceae

GenusPieris

Synonyms

Pieris phillyreifolius(Hook.) DC.

Other Common Names

climbing fetterbush (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 Date2022-10-28

Change Date2022-10-28

Edition Date2022-10-28

Edition AuthorsK. Lutz (TNC-GA), rev. A. Wildman and Jennifer Snyder (TNC-HO), rev. SE RSGCN Workshop (2022)

Threat ImpactUnknown

Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Rank Reasons

Pieris phillyreifolia is a shrub or vine that is endemic to the southeastern United States. It is common on the panhandle of Florida but rare to uncommon throughout the rest of its range. Threats to this species include alterations to hydrology associated with development and forestry practices.

Range Extent Comments

Pieris phillyreifolia is endemic to the southeastern United States where it is found throughout southeastern South Carolina through Georgia to northern Florida, westward through the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and to the extreme southeastern corner of Mississippi. Range extent was estimated with GeoCAT using occurrence and photo based observation data (Bachman et al. 2011, GBIF 2022, iNaturalist 2022, NatureServe 2022).

Occurrences Comments

This species is most common on the panhandle of Florida, but uncommon to rare throughout the rest of its range (Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2022). Based on NatureServe Network occurrence data, herbarium records, photo-based observations, and anecdotal evidence, there are between 81 and 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2022, iNaturalist 2022, NatureServe 2022).

Threat Impact Comments

This species habitat is threatened by drainage and development and by forest management practices (harvest, site prep, Rx fire) (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002).

Ecology & Habitat

Description

A woody, evergreen high-climbing plant typically found as a vine on pond cypress or occasionally on white cedar. This high climibing liana has rhizomes hidden under the bark of the support tree. Its leaves are evergreen and leathery. It has small blueberry-type flowers and small spherical fruit. It is occasionally a clonal low shrub in absence of a suitable support tree.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Only ericad with flattened rhizomes that climb under bark of a support tree, thus appearing hemiparasitic. It can also stand alone as a shrub, in which case the fact that its leaves are blunt-tipped and distally toothed should serve to separate it from potential look-alikes.

Habitat

Pieris phillyreifolia inhabits acidic swamp forests in ponds and depressions of flatwoods. It also occurs in pine woods and hammocks adjacent to ponds and occasionally in hammocks, and is found where hydric, somewhat acidic soils predominate. Soil texture in these areas are loam, and the substrate is typically sand.

Ecology

This species is rather intolerant of disturbance, drought, fire, frost and shade.

Reproduction

Although its rhizome is typically found growing under bark of various trees/shrubs, the plant is strictly autotrophic. In the shrubby form of the species, plants spread by rhizomes and form dense clones. Flowers are showy and presumably insect pollinated. Specific data about pollinators and seed dispersal agents are lacking.

Palustrine Habitats

FORESTED WETLANDBog/fen

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Mississippi	S1	Yes
Alabama	S3	Yes
Georgia	S3	Yes
South Carolina	S1	Yes
Florida	S4	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
2.2 - Wood & pulp plantations	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)
2.2.3 - Scale unknown/unrecorded	Unknown	Unknown	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL, EVERGREEN, WINTER-FLOWERING, SPRING-FLOWERING

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (3)

Florida (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Alexander Springs Creek	Ocala National Forest	2,954
Clear Lake	Apalachicola National Forest	5,592
Savannah	Apalachicola National Forest	1,927

References (12)

Bachman, S., J. Moat, A.W. Hill, J. de la Torre, and B. Scott. Supporting Red List threat assessments with GeoCAT: geospatial conservation assessment tool. In: Smith, V., and L. Penev (Eds). 2011. e-Infrastructures for data publishing in biodiversity science. ZooKeys 150:117-126. Version BETA. Accessed online: http://geocat.kew.org/editor
Clark, R. C. 1971. The woody plants of Alabama. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 58:99-242.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2009. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 585 pp.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2022. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2022).
Godfrey, R.K. 1988. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of northern Florida and adjacent Georgia and Alabama. Univ. Georgia Press, Athens. 734 pp.
Harper, R. M. 1903. A unique climbing plant. Torreya 3:21-22.
iNaturalist. 2022. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2022).
Judd, W. S. 1982. A taxonomic revision of Pieris (Ericaceae). Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 63:103-144.
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.
NatureServe. 2022. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Southeastern Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need Workshop (SE RSGCN Workshop). 2022. Jon Ambrose, Keith Bradley, Malissa Briggler, John Burkhart, Emily Coffey, Todd Crabtree, Amanda Eberly, Margie Dent, Chris Doffitt, Bruce Hoagland, Amy Jenkins, Wesley Knapp, Stephanie Koontz, Lisa Kruse, David Lincicome, Gemma Milly, Sarah Norris, Carrie Radcliffe, Hanna Rosner-Katz, Al Schotz, Jason Singhurst, Diana Soteropoulos, Carlee Steppe, Samantha Tessel, John Townsend, Alan Weakley, Brenda Wichmann, and Theo Witsell. Status assessment workshop, Oct. 17-20, 2022, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA.
Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.