Pub. No. 50
December 2016
Federally Protected
Plant Species
In Georgia
Dr. Kim D. Coder, Professor of Tree Biology & Health Care
Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia
Endangered and threatened species of plants are given federal protection under
regulations and agreements stemming from the Endangered Species Act, as amended.
Federal protection includes individuals of a listed species, habitats essential for their
survival, and specific limitations on pesticide use. This publication lists endangered and
threatened plant species by scientific name, common name, federal listing status, and
general Georgia county name locations. Figure 1 is a map giving county locations of
federally protected plant species in Georgia by identification number.
This publication was developed for educational purposes and is not a regulatory
document. The State of Georgia (Department of Natural Resources) maintains a complete list of both federal and state endangered, threatened, rare and unusual plant species
for Georgia.
Included at the end of this publication are plant species with a federal status of
"candidate," or "in a petition process," for potential listing. Figure 2.
Endangered / Threatened Plant Species
ID
#
1.
common name
(scientific name)
status1
Little amphianthus / pool sprite / snorklewort
(Amphianthus pusillus)
Dr. Kim D. Coder
Warnell School
University of Georgia
T
county distribution2
Granite outcrops in Butts, Columbia,
Dekalb, Douglas, Greene, Gwinnett,
Hancock, Harris, Heard, Henry,
Meriwether, Newton, Oglethorpe,
Pike, Putnam, Rockdale, & Walton
1
ID
#
common name
(scientific name)
2.
Georgia rockcress
(Arabis georgiana)
T Chatahoochee, Clay, Harris,
Muscogee, & Stewart
3.
hairy rattleweed /
cobwebby wild indigo
(Baptisia arachnifera)
E
Brantley & Wayne
Alabama leatherflower
(Clematis socialis)
E
Floyd
smooth purple coneflower
(Echinacea laevigata)
E
Stephens & Towns
4.
5.
status1
county distribution2
6.
rock gnome lichen
(Gymnoderma lineare)
E
Rabun
7.
whorled sunflower
(Helianthus verticillatus)
E
Floyd
8.
swamp pink
(Helonias bullata)
T
Rabun
black-spored quillwort
(Isoetes melanospora)
E
Granite outcrops in Butts, Dekalb,
Gwinnett, Heard, Newton, Pike, &
Rockdale
10. mat-forming quillwort / Merlin's-grass
(Isoetes tegetiformans)
E
Granite outcrops in Columbia,
Greene, Hancock, & Putnam
11. small whorled pogonia
(Isotria medeoloides)
T
Rabun
12. pondberry / Southern spicebush
(Lindera melissifolia)
E
Baker, Chatham, Screven & Wheeler
13. Mohr’s barbara’s-buttons /
Coosa barbara's-buttons
(Marshallia mohrii)
T
Floyd & Walker
14. Canby’s dropwort / Canby's cowbane
(Oxypolis canbyi)
E
Burke, Chatham, Dooly, Jenkins,
Lee, Screven, & Sumter
9.
Dr. Kim D. Coder
Warnell School
University of Georgia
2
ID
#
common name
(scientific name)
status1
county distribution2
15. white fringeless orchid / monkeyface orchid
(Platanthera integrilabia)
T
Bartow, Carroll, Chattooga,
Coweta, Dade, Fannin, Forsyth
Pickens, Rabun, & Stephens
16. harperella / Piedmont mock bishopweed
(Ptilimnium nodosum)
E
Dooly, Greene, & Schley
17. Michaux’s sumac /
false poison sumac /
dwarf sumac
(Rhus michauxii)
E
Cobb, Columbia, Elbert, Gwinnett,
Lincoln, Muscogee, Newton, &
Rabun
18. Kral’s water-plantain /
Little River arrowhead /
Little River water-plantain
(Sagittaria secundifolia
T
Chattooga
19. green pitcherplant
(Sarracenia oreophila)
E
Towns
20. chaffseed / American chaffseed
(Schwalbea americana)
E
Baker, Dougherty, Miller, &
Spaulding
21. large-flowered skullcap
(Scutellaria montana)
T
Catoosa, Floyd, Gordon, & Walker
22. fringed campion /
Eastern fringed catchfly /
fringed pink
(Silene polypetala)
E
Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Decatur,
Talbot & Taylor
23. Virginia spiraea /
Virginia meadowsweet /
Appalachian spiraea
(Spiraea virginiana)
T
Dade & Walker
24. Cooley's meadowrue
(Thalictrum cooleyi)
E
Worth
Dr. Kim D. Coder
Warnell School
University of Georgia
3
ID
#
common name
(scientific name)
status1
county distribution2
25. Florida torreya / Florida nutmeg
(Torreya taxifolia)
E
Decatur
26. persistent trillium / persistent wakerobin
(Trillium persistens)
E
Habersham, Rabun, & Stevens
27. relict trillium / Confederate wakerobin
(Trillium reliquum)
E
Chattahoochee, Clay, Columbia,
Early, Lee, Macon, Muscogee,
Quitman, Talbot & Upson
28. Tennessee yellow-eyed grass
(Xyris tennesseensis)
E
Bartow, Floyd, Gordon, & Whitfield
TOTAL NUMBER OF PLANTS
LISTED IN GEORGIA AS
FEDERALLY PROTECTED
= 28 plant species
1
2
Symbols:
E = endangered;
T = threatened.
Distributions are listed for county locations and
do not represent areas within a county.
Distributions are not complete.
The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.
Dr. Kim D. Coder
Warnell School
University of Georgia
4
DAWSON
15
CHEROKEE
BARTOW
15
FO
R
S
COBB
COWETA
15
9
CO
NE
E
DA
L
RO
1
ELBERT
17
OGLETHORPE
1
E
GREENE
MORGAN
9
1 10
1
10
9
ET
ER
27
TAYLOR
GL
10
17
CK
JEFFERSON
BURKE
14
WASHINGTON
W
AN
27
27 RANDOLPH
2
E
SUMTER
TERRELL
PULASKI
KL
EY
LAURENS
TREUTLEN
DODGE
WHEELER
12
CRISP
27
JEFF
DAVIS
BEN HILL
TURNER
20
APPLING
IRWIN
COFFEE
WORTH
24
CHATHAM
14
WAYNE
BACON
3
McINTOSH
PIERCE
BERRIEN
3
ATKINSON
MITCHELL
WARE
GLYNN
ER
BRANTLEY
LA
NI
22
25
12
LONG
TIFT
COOK
E
BRYAN
TATTNALL
COLQUITT
DECATUR
EVANS
TOOMBS
BAKER
MILLER
EFFINGHAM
LIBERTY
DOUGHERTY
12
BULLOCH
CANDLER
TELFAIR
LEE
20
12
RY
EC
WILCOX
14
20
EARLY
BL
14
14
CALHOUN
27
16
DOOLY
BS
SCREVEN
EMANUEL
27
SCHLEY
R
TE
14
JOHNSON
GOME
2
14
JENKINS
WILKINSON
MACON
16
STEWART
OL
COLUMBIA
TWIGGS
HOUSTON
27
MIN
A
O
SC
PEACH
22
CHATTAMARION
HOOCHEE
CLAY
22
CRAWFORD
22
27 2
17 2
SE
27 1
RICHMOND
10
22
JONES
BIBB
22
TALBOT
MUSCOGEE
M
WARREN
MONT
27
2
IT
O
HANCOCK
M
1
U
RR
BALDWIN
LAMAR MONROE
LINCOLN
UPSON
HARRIS
Q
I
1
PUTNAM
JASPER
BUTTS
L
TA
E
AF
PIKE
9
17
WILKES
16
17
NEWTON
1
IW
TROUP
1
20
1
HE
1
O
1
1
HENRY
SPALDING
R
HEARD
9
N
FAY E
TT
E
CLA
Y TO
15
1
9
MADISON
CLARKE
WALTON
DEKALB
FULTON
1
CARROLL
17 9
1
CK
DOUGLAS
BARROW
GWINNETT
17
PAULDING
HARALSON
HART
JACKSON
1
POLK
GEORGIA
FRANKLIN
BANKS
HALL
H
YT
Mc DU FF IE
28
28 4
ER
PICKENS
26
15 5
STEPHENS
AB
21
FLOYD
LUMPKIN
15
GORDON
21 13
26
WHITE
28
15
5TOWNS 26
11
19 15RABUN6
17 8
AM
IE
TF
UNION
GILMER
CHATTOOGA
7
15
MURRAY
HI
23 13
18
FANNIN
28
W
WALKER
LD
CATOOSA
SH
15
21
23 21
H
DADE
GRADY
THOMAS
LOWNDES
CLINCH
CHARLTON
CAMDEN
BROOKS
ECHOLS
Background map from Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia.
Figure 1: Counties where federally protected
plant species can be found.
This is not a comprehensive map of species locations, nor is it a map for
regulatory use. Critical habitats for each species may exist in additional
counties. Numbers correspond to species list.
Dr. Kim D. Coder
Warnell School
University of Georgia
5
common
name
scientific name
Georgia lead-plant
(Amorpha georgiana
var. georgiana)
variable leaf Indian plaintain (Arnoglossum diversifolium)
purpledisk honeycombhead (Balduina atropurpurea)
ciliate-leaf tickseed
(Coreopsis integrifolia)
Hirst’s witch grass
(Dichanthelium hirstii)
small-headed pipewort
(Eriocaulon kornickianum)
Godfry’s privet
(Forestiera godfreyi)
Florida hartwrightia
(Hartwrightia floridana)
Winter quillwort
(Isoetes hyemalis)
Long Beach seedbox
(Ludwigia brevipes)
spathulate seedbox
(Ludwigia spathulata)
Carolina birds-in-a-nest
(Macbridea caroliniana)
hornwort
(Megaceros aenigmaticus)
needleleaf waternymph
(Najas filifolia)
Carolina bishopweed
(Ptilimnium ahlesii)
Thorne’s beaked-rush
(Rhynchospora thornei)
mountain purple pitcherplant (Sarracenia purpurea
var. montana)
Hall’s bullrush
(Schoenoplectus hallii)
Ocmulgee skullcap
(Scutellaria ocmulgee)
wireleaf dropseed
(Sporobolus teretifolius)
Georgia aster
(Symphyotrichum georgianum)
Southern meadowrue
(Thalictrum debile)
Carolina hemlock
(Tsuga caroliniana)
Piedmont barren strawberry (Waldsteinia lobata)
Figure 2: Plant species (24 sp.), in alphabetical order by
scientific name, with a federal listing status of
"candidate" or "in petition process" for Georgia.
(source = USDI-FWS-ECOS and USDA-NRCS-PLANTS databases)
Dr. Kim D. Coder
Warnell School
University of Georgia
6