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Lechea tenuifolia

Michx.

Slender Pinweed

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.134960
Element CodePDCIS040E0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderViolales
FamilyCistaceae
GenusLechea
Other Common Names
narrowleaf pinweed (EN) Narrowleaf 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 Date1984-06-07
Edition Date2024-06-11
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Lechea tenuifolia is a wide-ranging biennial or perennial herb in woodlands, forest openings, and woodland margins occurring in the eastern United States, mostly in the Inner Coastal Plain and Piedmont, from southern Maine west to Minnesota and Nebraska and south to South Carolina and Texas. 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 tenuifolia occurs in the eastern United States, mostly in the Inner Coastal Plain and Piedmont, from southern Maine west to Minnesota and Nebraska and south to South Carolina and Texas (FNA 2015, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be over 3.8 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 300 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, 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, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Lechea tenuifolia grows in "dry, sandy or gravelly soil in openings or along margins of oak woodlands and oak-pine forests" (FNA 2015).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedOld field
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
KansasS3Yes
MississippiSNRYes
MinnesotaS1Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
New HampshireS1Yes
West VirginiaSHYes
ArkansasSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
NebraskaS1Yes
IndianaSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
OhioS2Yes
VermontSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
DelawareSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
MaineSXYes
VirginiaS5Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
IllinoisSNRYes
MarylandSHYes
AlabamaSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
New YorkS2Yes
IowaS4Yes
South CarolinaSNRYes
New JerseyS1Yes
North CarolinaS4Yes
FloridaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationBIENNIAL, PERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Oklahoma (1)
AreaForestAcres
Beech CreekOuachita National Forest8,303
References (8)
  1. Dodds, J. 2022. <i>Lechea tenuifolia</i> Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites, State Forest Fire Service and Forestry, Office of Natural Lands Management, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton, NJ. 15 pp. [https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/natural/heritage/docs/lechea-tenuifolia-narrow-leaf-pinweed.pdf]
  2. 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.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  4. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  5. 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.
  6. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  8. 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.