Parietaria pensylvanica

Muhl. ex Willd.

Pennsylvania Pellitory

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.154790
Element CodePDURT06060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderUrticales
FamilyUrticaceae
GenusParietaria
Other Common Names
Pariétaire de Pennsylvanie (FR) Pennsylvania pellitory (EN) Rock Pellitory (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
FNA (vol. 3, 1997) and Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team (2024) do not recognize subspecific taxa. In contrast, Kartesz (1994) recognized two varieties.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-13
Change Date1984-06-18
Edition Date2024-09-13
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Parietaria pensylvanica is an annual herb found on dry ledges, rocky slopes, disturbed areas, and shaded spots, typically in neutral to alkaline soils, and occasionally along the edges of hot springs in northern regions. It occurs in North America throughout most of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and as an introduced species in Europe. There are an estimated 2,000 occurrences of this species, which are likely threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. Little is known about threats or trends, but with a large range extent, a high number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, Parietaria pensylvanica is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Parietaria pensylvanica occurs in North America throughout most of the United States north to Yukon and Quebec, Canada (FNA 1997). It also occurs within many states in Mexico and as an introduced species in Europe (POWO 2024, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). The native range extent was estimated to be 22.4 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be over 2,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Parietaria pensylvanica is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Parietaria pensylvanica occurs on "dry ledges, talus slopes, waste and shaded places, primarily in neutral to basic soils, and reported from margins of hot springs in northernmost locations" (FNA 1997).
Terrestrial Habitats
Bare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
ColoradoS3Yes
OhioSNRYes
MassachusettsS2Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
VermontS4Yes
MississippiSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
IllinoisS5Yes
West VirginiaS4Yes
MichiganSNRYes
KansasS5Yes
UtahSNRYes
NevadaSNRYes
KentuckyS4Yes
MissouriSNRYes
IndianaS5Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
WyomingS4Yes
GeorgiaS1Yes
MarylandSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
New YorkS5Yes
ArizonaSNRYes
New HampshireSXYes
NebraskaSNRYes
OregonSNRYes
North CarolinaS2Yes
IdahoSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
South CarolinaS1Yes
FloridaSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
MontanaSNRYes
South DakotaSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
New JerseyS3Yes
TexasSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
MaineSXYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS3Yes
OntarioS4Yes
ManitobaS3Yes
Yukon TerritoryS1Yes
British ColumbiaS4Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
AlbertaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (4)
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Lower San FranciscoGila National Forest26,460
Wyoming (2)
AreaForestAcres
Platte River AdditionMedicine Bow-Routt National Forest7,962
Savage Run AdditionMedicine Bow-Routt National Forest2,368
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. 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.
  5. Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2024. Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Online. Available: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 2024).
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  7. 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.