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Plant Profile

Ozark leatherwood (Dirca decipiens)

Dirca decipiens flower Photo Credit: Aaron Floden

Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Thymelaeaceae
State: AR, KS, MO
Nature Serve ID: 843724
Lifeform: Shrub
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Ozark leatherwood is a very rare shrub that grows in the shady understory of oak-hickory forest. Reaching 2-3 m (6-8 ft.) tall, it has branches that are unusually pliable. Its small flowers are produced in late March and early April before the overstory trees leaf out.

Where is Ozark leatherwood (Dirca decipiens) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Ozark leatherwood is associated with eastern deciduous forest. The largest colony is found in the Overland Park (KS) Arboretum growing on the north-facing slope above a creek in the understory of oak-hickory forest.

Distribution:

Ozark leatherwood has a highly fragmented distribution with occurrences in Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri. The largest know population is a colony of several thousand plants that occurs in the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Overland Park, Kansas (suburban Kansas City). The handful of other occurrences in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri have much smaller numbers of plants.

States & Provinces:

Ozark leatherwood can be found in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri

Which CPC Partners conserve Ozark leatherwood (Dirca decipiens)?

Lauritzen Gardens

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

Missouri Botanical Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 11/07/22

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Tina Stanley

11/07/2022

Missouri Botanical Garden holds Dirca decipiens in both living collection and seed collection.

Jim Locklear

01/15/2018

Lauritzen Gardens is growing a living collection of Ozark leatherwood shrubs in our Conservation Discovery Garden.