Search / Plant Profile / Lechea divaricata

Plant Profile

Pine Pinweed (Lechea divaricata)

Lechea divaricata in situ.

Photo Credit: Chico Rivera

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Cistaceae
State: FL
Nature Serve ID: 135050
Lifeform: Subshrub, Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 09/12/2023

Description:

Where is Pine Pinweed (Lechea divaricata) located in the wild?

States & Provinces:

Pine Pinweed can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Pine Pinweed (Lechea divaricata)?

Bok Tower Gardens

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 09/12/23

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

Chico Rivera

09/12/2023

Seed collection- Lechea divaricata

The endangered Spreading pinweed or Dry-sand pinweed (Lechea divaricata) is a perennial herb endemic to peninsular Florida, with recorded occurrences in 11 Florida counties. The plant occurs in scrubs and scrubby flatwoods. In 2023, Bok Tower Gardens’ Rare Plant Conservation Program surveyed multiple occurrence records in order to locate a suitable population for seed collection and preservation for the CPC Florida Plant Rescue project. In June 2023, a population on well managed, protected land in Brevard County was selected. Seeds were collected from 55 maternal parent plants in July and August by placing seed collection bags on stems containing ripening seeds, and collecting the bags when the seeds became ripe. Seeds were cleaned of debris, kept separate by maternal source plant, and sorted for safety duplication to be stored at the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation and at the National Collection facilities at Bok Tower Gardens. During seed collection, unripe as well as fully ripe seeds were collected for concurrent germination trials, which should provide important information on whether seeds of this species after-ripen, as well as initial germination rates for fresh seeds of this species. This information may be useful for land managers to better understand their populations, and whether seeds forcibly removed by strong winds, especially since seed ripening takes place during hurricane season, could have an impact on population dynamics.

Close-up look of Leachea divaricata plant containing multiple seeds Orange organza bag wrapped over multiple stems that contain seeds

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

A species with a restricted current range due to extreme pressures on its habitat. The Florida Natural Areas Inventory's database contains 13 occurrence records, located in Highlands, Palm Beach, Martin, and Hernando counties, Florida. Species may occur in Alabama as well.