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Plant Profile

Tiny Tim (Geocarpon minimum)

A closeup of this tiny herb with maturing fruit and magenta leaves. Photo Credit: Casey Galvin

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Threatened
Family: Caryophyllaceae
State: AR, LA, MO, TX
Nature Serve ID: 153730
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 05/28/1986

Description:

If you want to see Geocarpon minimum you'll need good eyes and good knees! That's because this plant is TINY, and to find it often requires getting down on hands and knees. Growing between one and four centimeters tall, G. minimum is the only member of its genus, making it a very unique member of the Caryophyllaceae (Carnation) family. Seeds of Geocarpon germinate in the winter and produce a small rosette. In spring the plant produces flowers and sets seed within about 4 weeks time. As the fruits mature, the plant turns from green to a striking magenta color.

Where is Tiny Tim (Geocarpon minimum) located in the wild?

Habitat:

In Missouri, Geocarpon minimum grows on moist, sandy soils on exposed sandstone outcrops. It is limited to shallow depressions in slightly tilted sandstone strata within sandstone glade plant communities (Shepard et al. 1991). In Arkansas and Louisiana, Geocarpon is restricted to saline soils in plant communities classified as \"\"\"\"saline soil prairies\"\"\"\" (USFWS 1993).In Missouri, Geocarpon is strongly associated with the lichen, Xanthoparmelia sp. (USFWS 1993). Also likely to occur with Geocarpon: Talinum sp., and Polytrichum juniperinum.In Arkansas and Louisiana, associates include: Scirpus koilolepsis, Aristida longespica, and Anemone caroliniana (USFWS 1993).

Distribution:

Seven counties in SW Missouri, four counties in Arkansas (in NW and SE areas of the state), and one county in Northern Louisiana (USFWS 1993).

States & Provinces:

Tiny Tim can be found in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas

Which CPC Partners conserve Tiny Tim (Geocarpon minimum)?

Missouri Botanical Garden

Conservation Actions

Katie Heineman

12/09/2021

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas holds at least one seed accession (collected in 2019) of Geocarpon minimum in orthodox seed storage at their facility.

Katie Heineman

12/09/2021

The National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation holds a back up seed lot of the 2019 Parker County, Texas collection for safety duplication under the CPC Material Transfer Research Agreement.

Katie Heineman

12/09/2021

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas collected seed from three plants of Geocarpon minimum from a population in Parker, County Texas in April 2019.

09/12/2020

MDC has worked for several years to relocate Geocarpon from an area of Collins Glade that was lost to expansion of HWY 13. Seeds of the destroyed site were transported to a protected area of Collins Glade. Monitoring of the project is done on an annual basis.

09/12/2020

The Nature Conservancy conducts an annual census of Geocarpon on its Corry Flatrocks Preserve in SW Missouri.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Extant at about 40 sites in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Some sites are protected and appear to have good viability. Total population size is difficult to estimate.

Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.

01/01/2010

Threats include destruction or adverse modification of the habitat, trampling and grazing by cattle, road expansions and improvements, overcrowding and shading by invading plants (USFWS 1993).

Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.

01/01/2010

Known from approximately 27 sites in AR, LA, and MO. The majority of sites occur in Missouri (USFWS 1993). The number of individual plants at each site varies from year to year, ranging from 0 to hundreds or occasionally even a few thousand.

Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.

01/01/2010

The Missouri Botanical Garden is currently (year 2002) working to assess the genetic diversity and differentiation present within and among Geocarpon populations across its range. Given the disparate nature of the habitat occupied by Geocarpon in Missouri versus Arkansas and Louisiana, there is interest in determining if there are subspecific differences between the MO and the AR and LA populations. Knowledge of these differences will assist in potential future reintroduction work.

Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.

01/01/2010

The Nature Conservancy conducts an annual census of Geocarpon on its Corry Flatrocks Preserve in SW Missouri. The Missouri Dept. of Conservation (MDC) also monitors Geocarpon at several sites in SW Missouri. MDC has worked for several years to relocate Geocarpon from an area of Collins Glade that was lost to expansion of HWY 13. Seeds of the destroyed site were transported to a protected area of Collins Glade. Monitoring of the project is done on an annual basis.

Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.

01/01/2010

Management needs include evaluating potential habitat and searching for additional populations and preserving genetic stock. Population monitoring should be continued. Research needs include determining the effects of disturbance factors (natural and man-made) and incorporating findings into management prescriptions, establishing experimental populations to determine the presence of habitat specific factors and understanding reproductive biology and ecology.

Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D.

01/01/2010

Establish reliable propagation protocols.