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Dirca palustris

L.

Eastern Leatherwood

G5Secure Found in 15 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.138452
Element CodePDTHY03020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderMyrtales
FamilyThymelaeaceae
GenusDirca
Other Common Names
Dirca des marais (FR) eastern leatherwood (EN) Leatherwood (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 Date2024-05-03
Change Date2024-05-03
Edition Date2024-05-03
Edition AuthorsJaster, T. (TNC-LASP) (1995), rev. Eberly (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Dirca palustris is a shrub with oddly flexible stems that grows in rich, mesic forests of eastern North America that occurs in the United States and Canada. Threats to this species include include invasive plants, logging, livestock grazing, deer herbivory, recreational trampling, rights-of-way maintenance, and likely other threats in some places. With a large range extent, over 600 occurrences, and broad habitat preferences for relatively abundant habitat in large portions of it's range,this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Dirca palustris occurs across much of eastern North America from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and southern Quebec and Ontario, south from eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana to Florida in the United States. Range extent was estimated 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, it is estimated that there are over 600 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats to Dirca palustris are not well documented but include invasive plants, logging, livestock grazing, deer herbivory, recreational trampling, rights-of-way maintenance, and likely other threats in some places (NatureServe 2024). There is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand the scope and severity of threats for this taxon.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Dirca palustris is an understory shrub that grows in very rich, mesic, lowland woods/bottomlands, slopes, along braided streams, swamps of calcareous or mafic rocks including limestone, calcareous siltstone, calcareous shale, gabbro, amphibolite, or marl (FNA 2015, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2023).

Reproduction

This species flowers in the spring and has a mixed mating system (both outcrossing and self pollinating) to ensure successful reproduction in cool springs when insects may be fewer (Williams 2004). While this species is capable of spreading through rhizomes, it seems that it is not the predominate mechanism (Peterson and Graves 2011). While shade tolerant, light availability may impact flowering and fruiting but possibly lesser so than shrub size (Schulz et al. 2004).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodWoodland - Mixed
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLAND
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS2Yes
Nova ScotiaS2Yes
OntarioS4Yes
QuebecS3Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
North DakotaS1Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
South CarolinaS2Yes
DelawareS1Yes
MississippiS2Yes
GeorgiaS3Yes
New JerseyS2Yes
LouisianaS1Yes
MissouriSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSXYes
North CarolinaS3Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
AlabamaS4Yes
VermontS5Yes
OklahomaS1Yes
New YorkS5Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
MarylandS2Yes
IllinoisSNRYes
IowaS3Yes
MaineSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
KentuckyS4Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
FloridaS2Yes
MichiganSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownUnknownUnknown
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingUnknownUnknownUnknown
2.3.4 - Scale unknown/unrecordedUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3.5 - Motivation unknown/unrecordedUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.2 - Problematic native species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.2.2 - Named speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (15)
Arkansas (5)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainOuachita National Forest1,910
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Gee CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,957
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Richland CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest571
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Illinois (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bay CreekShawnee National Forest120
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear SwampHuron-Manistee National Forest3,915
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dry ForkMonongahela National Forest657
Wisconsin (2)
AreaForestAcres
09154 - St. Peters DomeChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest4,002
09161 - Gates LakeChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest5,255
References (8)
  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. 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.
  3. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  4. Peterson, B.J., and R.G. William. 2011. Reproductive Ecology of <i>Dirca palustris</i> L. (Thymelaeaceae). Castanea 76(3):237-244.
  5. Record, S., and C. Mell. 1924. Timbers of Tropical America. New Haven: Yale University Press, U.S.A. 610 pages.
  6. Schulz, K., J. Zasada, and E. Nauertz. 2004. Annual, local, and individual variation in the inflorescence and fruit production of eastern leatherwood (<i>Dirca palustris</i> L. Thymelaeaceae). Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 131:292–304.
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2023. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of April 14, 2023. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2105 pp.
  8. Williams, C.E. 2004. Mating system and pollination biology of the spring-flowering shrub, <i>Dirca palustris</i>. Plant Species Biology 19:101-106.