Search / Plant Profile / Agalinis auriculata

Plant Profile

Earleaf False Foxglove (Agalinis auriculata)

The beautiful pink flowers and maroon-colored leaves of the earleaf foxglove. Photo Credit: J. Locklear

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Orobanchaceae
State: AL, AR, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TVA, TX, VA, WI, WV
Nature Serve ID: 148670
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 05/28/1986

Description:

Apparently it's not easy being an annual, disturbance-dependent hemiparasite. But such is the life of the earleaf foxglove, a fall-blooming wildflower that formerly occurred in prairie and prairie-like habitat from New Jersey to Minnesota, south to Texas, Mississippi and Alabama. As an annual that completes its life cycle in a single growing season, it requires open places in the vegetation for its seed to germinate - perhaps created in the past by herds of bison or elk, now both gone from the prairie. As a hemiparasite, it depends on root connections with other plants to obtain some of its nutrients. Today this unusual plant is found in only a scattering of sites across its formerly expansive range.

Where is Earleaf False Foxglove (Agalinis auriculata) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Historically known to occur in mesic to wet-mesic tallgrass prairie (IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, OK & WI), blackland prairie (AL, AR, MS & TX), and prairie-like glades, barrens, and openings (IN, KY, OH, SC, TN & VA). Historical occurrences in MD and PA (Pennell 1928 and 1935) appear to correspond with the distribution of serpentine rock outcrops and associated barrens and grassland vegetation (Tyndall and Hull 1999). Information on habitat and ecology of historical occurrences in DC, NJ, & WV is lacking. Habitat of extant occurrences typically exhibits disturbance, and often has woody vegetation encroaching. A number of extant occurrences are associated with degraded prairie pastures, formerly cultivated fields, roadsides and floodplains.

Distribution:

Historically widespread distribution centered in the tallgrass prairie region of MO, eastern OK, eastern KS, eastern IA, and IL, with scattered occurrences in TX, AR, MS, AL, TN, KY, SC, VA, MD, DC, N

States & Provinces:

Earleaf False Foxglove can be found in Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tennessee Valley Authority, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Which CPC Partners conserve Earleaf False Foxglove (Agalinis auriculata)?

Missouri Botanical Garden

Conservation Actions

Tina Stanley

07/14/2022

As of July 2022, Southeastern Grasslands Initiative had collected 3 accessions of Agalinis auriculata from populations in Tennessee and Alabama.

Tina Stanley

07/14/2022

As of July 2022, Southeastern Grasslands Initiative holds 91 maternal lines from 3 accessions (wild provenance only) totaling 17,364 seeds.

08/26/2020

Successfully propagated from seed using three month cold-moist stratification (Nebraska Statewide Arboretum).

08/14/2020

Seed germinates in March and April, plants flower from August to September, and set fruit in September and October (Baskin et al. 1991). Seed is dormant when dispersed; requires light to germinate; remains viable in the soil for at least 4 years (Baskin et al. 1991).

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Widespread distribution but rare and local throughout its range. Its habitat is threatened by development, inappropriate intensive mowing that prevents the plants from flowering, fire suppression/succession to woody vegetation. Conversion to cropland is also a potential threat, although the species can reappear in formerly cultivated areas. Hemiparisite, dependent on a healthy forb community rich in composites.

Jim Locklear

01/01/2010

Habitat loss. Succession of open habitat to woody vegetation. Summer haying of prairie habitat before seed is ripened and released.

Jim Locklear

01/01/2010

About 40-50 known occurrences, most with small populations of only 25-250 individuals (Rawinski 1990). Largest populations are found in AR, MS & MO. Recently discovered in KY (White 2001). Presumed extirpated in MI, NJ & TX. Possibly extirpated in AL, DC & WV. Typical of an annual plant species, extant populations fluctuate in number of individuals from year-to-year.

Jim Locklear

01/01/2010

Jim Locklear

01/01/2010

Monitoring of populations. Effects of burning and other methods of disturbance. Host plants. Roll of soil seed bank in ecology.

Jim Locklear

01/01/2010

Build seed bank with collections from throughout species' range.