Rare Plants

Importance / Issues

Both threatened and endangered species and poached species are critical resources to several parks.   The last known population of Kral’s Water Plantain is in the Little River system (USFWS 1991), and the endangered Green Pitcher Plant and Harperella are also found there (LIRI). The Lookout Mountain (CHCH) population of the federally endangered Mountain Skullcap is listed as one of the last ten remaining populations (USFWS 1996). 

The Tennessee Coneflower population at STRI is one of five remaining (USFWS 1989). 

The federally threatened Dwarf-Flowered Heartleaf at COWP is one of 14 remaining populations (USFWS 1989) and the Price’s Potato Bean (FODO) is one of twenty-five (USFWS 1993). 

Ginseng and golden seal are both actively poached from several parks each year and the need for law enforcement has increased.  

The Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) monitoring program will assist parks with ongoing monitoring, development of protocols, and/or will assist with project statements to fund future monitoring efforts.

Management Applications

Several parks have both federally- and state-listed species and are required to report on status and trends of these populations.  For general project management, compliance requires documentation of expected impacts to resources. Through monitoring, parks will be able to evaluate the status of species-of-concern and document results of management actions that are intended to protect populations. A few known examples where monitoring data would be useful, include:

• Assist park with the evaluation of long-term trends in plant distribution, numbers, and health of Krals Water Plantain, Green Pitcher Plant, and Harperella found at LIRI.
• Assist park with the evaluation of long-term trends in plant distribution, numbers, and health of Mountain Skullcap found at CHCH.
• Assist park with the evaluation of long-term trends in plant distribution, numbers, and health of Tennessee Coneflower found at STRI.
• Assist park with the evaluation of long-term trends in plant distribution, numbers, and health of Dwarf-flowered Heartleaf found at COWP.
• Assist park with the evaluation of long-term trends in plant distribution, numbers, and health of Price’s Potato Bean found at FODO.
• Assist park with the evaluation of long-term trends in plant distribution, numbers, and health of Ogelthorpe Oak found at NISI.
• Assist park with the evaluation of long-term trends in plant distribution, numbers, and health of Piedmont Ragwort and Carolina Hemlock found at CARL.
• Assist park with the evaluation of long-term trends in plant distribution, numbers, and health of Eastern Turkeybeard and Georgia Aster found at KIMO.
• Determine parks/species that are experiencing declines in populations due to poaching (Ginseng, Goldenseal, Galax, Flame Azalea).

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