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Paronychia canadensis

(L.) Wood

Forked Nailwort

G5Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.145098
Element CodePDCAR0L040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyCaryophyllaceae
GenusParonychia
Synonyms
Paronychia dichotoma(Michx.) A.Nels.
Other Common Names
Paronyque du Canada (FR) Smooth Forked Nailwort (EN) smooth forked nailwort (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 Date2024-06-06
Change Date1984-06-18
Edition Date2024-06-06
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Paronychia canadensis is a wide-ranging annual herb in a variety of dry, rocky habitats occurring in eastern and central North America from New Hampshire, United States and Ontario, Canada west to Minnesota and south to Georgia west to Arkansas, and Kansas. Threats include development, logging, recreational activities, succession, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Paronychia canadensis occurs in eastern and central North America from New Hampshire, United States and Ontario, Canada west to Minnesota and south to northern Georgia and Alabama, northwest Arkansas, and Kansas (FNA 2005, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be over 1.8 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 over 250 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024). This diminutive annual is likely overlooked in photo-based observations, underrepresented in herbaria collections, not all collections are georeferenced, and anecdotal comments support the likelihood that there are over 300 occurrences rangewide.
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, logging, recreational activities, succession, 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 no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Paronychia canadensis grows in dry, rocky "woodlands, thickets, fields, clearings, roadsides, waste places," and shale barrens (FNA 2005, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedOld fieldBarrens
Other Nations (2)
CanadaNH
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioSHYes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
NebraskaS1Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
OhioSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
WisconsinS2Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
New JerseyS4Yes
North CarolinaS4Yes
New HampshireS1Yes
IllinoisS3Yes
MichiganSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
OklahomaSHYes
AlabamaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MinnesotaS1Yes
VermontS1Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
LouisianaSHYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
DelawareS2Yes
South CarolinaS1Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
KansasS3Yes
IowaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,855
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
West Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Glady ForkMonongahela National Forest3,239
Marlin MountainMonongahela National Forest9,344
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2005. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 5. Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae: Caryophyllales, Polygonales, and Plumbaginales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. vii + 656 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.