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Plant Profile

Bracted Colicroot (Aletris bracteata)

Flower stalk of A. bracteata. Photo Credit: Flower

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Liliaceae
State: FL
Nature Serve ID: 151013
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 10/25/2019

Description:

Scapose perennial herb composed of a rosette of basal leaves and a single flowering stalk 1-2.5 feet tall. The flower stalk is slender, with white tubular flowers that stick out at 90 degrees, and very small, bract-like or scale-like leaves along its length. The fruits are a three compartment capsule (NatureServe, NPIN, Wildson & Richards 2009).

Where is Bracted Colicroot (Aletris bracteata) located in the wild?

Habitat:

A. bracteata can be found in Pine Rocklands, a habitat that occurs on the oolitic limestone outcroppings of the Miami Rock Ridge. The most prominent feature of this habitat is the open canopy of South Florida slash pines (Pinus elliottii var. densa). The understory consists of tropical and temperate shrubs and palms and a very diverse herbaceous layer. This pyrogenic habitat is threatened by urbanization, fire suppression and invasive non-native plants. A. bracteata can also be found in marl prairies a graminoid-dominated habitat that is seasonally inundated (two to four months) (FNAI 2010, FISF Database 2019).

Distribution:

A. bracteata can only be found in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties in South Florida. Outside of the United States it can also be found on several islands of the Bahamas (NatureServe).

States & Provinces:

Bracted Colicroot can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Bracted Colicroot (Aletris bracteata)?

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 10/25/19

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

05/11/2023

According to a March 2023 extract of the Florida Plant Rescue Database, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden holds 4 accessions of Aletris bracteata totalling approximately 6150 seeds representing 106 maternal lines.

10/13/2020

Results of germination trials at FTBG show that seeds of this species can be stored for at least one month at -18C without losing viability.

Sabine Wintergerst

11/03/2019

Results of germination trials at FTBG show that seeds of this species can be stored for at least one month at -18C without losing viability.

Sabine Wintergerst

11/01/2019

Threats to A. bracteata growing in the Pine Rocklands of South Florida include habitat loss, invasive species and fire suppression. The threats for plants growing in Marl prairies include the canalization and drainage of seasonally flooded wetlands