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Home/Species/ Downy Solomon's-seal

Polygonatum pubescens

(Willd.) Pursh

Downy Solomon's-seal

G5Secure Found in 38 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.136074
Element CodePMLIL1Q050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderAsparagales
FamilyAsparagaceae
GenusPolygonatum
Other Common Names
hairy Solomon's seal (EN) Hairy Solomon's-seal (EN) Sceau-de-Salomon pubescent (FR)
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 Date2024-06-19
Change Date1984-06-25
Edition Date2024-06-19
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Polygonatum pubescens is a wide-ranging perennial herb in forests occurring from Nova Scotia west to Ontario in Canada south to South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Iowa, and Minnesota in the United States. Threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, logging, recreational activities, deer browse, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Polygonatum pubescens occurs from Nova Scotia west to Ontario in Canada south to northwestern South Carolina, northern Georgia, northeastern Alabama, northeastern Iowa, and Minnesota (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be over 2.4 million 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 thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, logging, recreational activities, deer browse, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Polygonatum pubescens grows in rich moist wooded slopes, forests, especially cove forests, and montane oak forests (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodForest - Mixed
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New HampshireSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
IowaS2Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
IllinoisS2Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
MichiganSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
MaineSNRYes
OhioS5Yes
IndianaS5Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
DelawareS4Yes
MarylandSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
South CarolinaS1Yes
New JerseyS4Yes
VermontS5Yes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS5Yes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
QuebecS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (38)
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
New Hampshire (6)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
KilkennyWhite Mountain National Forest28,766
Mt. Wolf - Gordon PondWhite Mountain National Forest11,846
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
North Carolina (6)
AreaForestAcres
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
BearwallowPisgah National Forest4,113
Cheoah BaldNantahala National Forest7,795
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Woods MountainPisgah National Forest9,602
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Allegheny FrontAllegheny National Forest7,430
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Beaver Dam CreekCherokee National Forest5,070
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Vermont (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Wilder Mountain 09082Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests8,759
Virginia (11)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Elliott KnobGeorge Washington National Forest9,380
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
The PriestGeorge Washington National Forest5,737
West Virginia (7)
AreaForestAcres
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Dry ForkMonongahela National Forest657
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Mcgowan MountainMonongahela National Forest10,504
Seneca CreekMonongahela National Forest22,287
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 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. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  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.