Pluchea odorata

(L.) Cass.

Shrubby Camphorweed

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.149843
Element CodePDAST7E060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderAsterales
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusPluchea
Other Common Names
Pluchée odorante (FR) Sweetscent (EN) sweetscent (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 Date2024-06-13
Change Date1999-01-14
Edition Date2024-06-13
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
Pluchea odorata is a wide-ranging annual or perennial forb primarily in salt or brackish marshes and estuaries but also in a variety of inland wetlands occurring in North America from Ontario, Canada, the Great Lakes region, and Maine south to Florida and west to California in the United States, south to Mexico and throughout Central America, and into South America and the West Indies with two varieties. Threats potentially include development, rights-of-way maintenance activities, recreational activities, 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
Pluchea odorata occurs in North America from Ontario, Canada, the Great Lakes region, and Maine south to Florida and west to California in the United States, south to Mexico and throughout Central America, and into South America and the West Indies (FNA 2006). See individual entries for distribution details about the two varieties. Range extent was estimated to be over 20 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, recreational activities, 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

Pluchea odorata grows in salt or brackish marshes and estuaries, often near the coast and less commonly in inland saline habitats, freshwater springs, and ephemerally moist drainages (FNA 2006).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLAND
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
FloridaSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
UtahS2Yes
MichiganSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
NevadaS3Yes
New JerseySNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
KansasS3Yes
New MexicoSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNANo
South CarolinaSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
North CarolinaS3Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
New YorkSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
IndianaSNANo
CanadaNNA
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioSNANo
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL, PERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Arizona (2)
AreaForestAcres
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 19. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 6: Asteraceae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 579 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).