Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Illinois Pinweed

Lechea racemulosa

Michx.

Illinois Pinweed

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.143096
Element CodePDCIS040A0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderViolales
FamilyCistaceae
GenusLechea
Other Common Names
Illinois pinweed (EN) Oblong-fruit Pinweed (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 Date2024-06-11
Change Date1984-04-16
Edition Date2024-06-11
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
Lechea racemulosa is a wide-ranging perennial herb in old fields, woodlands, and woodland margins occurring in the eastern United States, centered on the Appalachian Mountains, from Massachusetts and New York west to Indiana and south to South Carolina west to Louisiana. Threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance 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
Lechea racemulosa occurs in the eastern United States, centered on the Appalachian Mountains, from Massachusetts and New York west to Indiana and south to South Carolina west to Louisiana, it is possibly historic and disjunct in Iowa and Missouri (FNA 2015, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be over 700,000 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 100 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024). However, 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, rights-of-way maintenance 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

Lechea racemulosa grows in "old fields, woodland margins, other dry, sandy, open sites," including dry pine and other woodlands (FNA 2015, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedOld field
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
IowaSHYes
DelawareS4Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
MississippiSNRYes
LouisianaSUYes
TennesseeSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
MissouriSHYes
New JerseyS5Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
New YorkS3Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
IndianaS1Yes
MarylandSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
ConnecticutSHYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
References (7)
  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. 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.