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Home/Species/ Small Dog-fennel Thoroughwort

Eupatorium capillifolium

(Lam.) Small

Small Dog-fennel Thoroughwort

G5Secure Found in 13 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.156486
Element CodePDAST3P0B0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderAsterales
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusEupatorium
Other Common Names
dogfennel (EN) Dog-fennel (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 Date1985-10-10
Edition Date2024-06-13
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (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
Eupatorium capillifolium occurs in the eastern United States, from Massachusetts south to Florida and west to Texas. It is estimated that there are over 700 occurrences rangewide. It occurs in old fields, open sites, roadsides, and flatwoods; where it is potentially threatened by development, road maintenance, invasive species, woody plant encroachment, and closure of canopy gaps due to the absence of fire. However, these threats are considered negligible given the broad range, large number of occurrences, and preference for soil disturbance exhibited by the species.
Range Extent Comments
Eupatorium capillifolium occurs in the eastern United States, from Massachusetts south to Florida and west to Texas (FNA 2006). Range extent was estimated to be over 1.8 million square kilometers, using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected 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 700 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Eupatorium capillifolium is potentially threatened by development, road maintenance, invasive species, woody plant encroachment and closure of canopy gaps due to the absence of fire, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given species' broad range, large number of occurrences, preference for disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Eupatorium capillifolium occurs in "old fields, open sites, roadsides, [and] flatwoods" (FNA 2006). It is an excellent indicator of soil disturbance (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).

Ecology

This species occurs in disturbed sites and clearcuts, and is an excellent indicator of soil disturbance (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest EdgeOld field
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MissouriSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
FloridaS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
DelawareS5Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
New JerseyS4Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
West VirginiaSNANo
TexasSNRYes
MarylandS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (13)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Florida (3)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Clear LakeApalachicola National Forest5,592
Farles PrairieOcala National Forest1,901
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Indian Grave GapChattahoochee National Forest1,020
Rocky MountainChattahoochee National Forest4,269
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Saline Bayou W & S River CorridorKisatchie National Forest5,355
Mississippi (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sandy Creek Rare Ii AreaHomochitto National Forest2,620
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Wambaw ExtFrancis Marion National Forest527
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
References (7)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006c. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 21. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 8: Asteraceae, part 3. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxii + 616 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.