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Plant Profile

Carter's Small-flowered Flax (Linum carteri var. carteri)

Global Rank: T1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Linaceae
State: FL
Nature Serve ID: 148480
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

An annual herb with 9-12 inch stems and small, yellow flowers with 1/4 inch petals. These plants are native to the pine rocklands of S. Florida and threatened by urban encroachment, invasive non-native plants and natural fire suppression.

Where is Carter's Small-flowered Flax (Linum carteri var. carteri) located in the wild?

Habitat:

pine rocklands

Distribution:

States & Provinces:

Carter's Small-flowered Flax can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Carter's Small-flowered Flax (Linum carteri var. carteri)?

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

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 18 accessions of Linum carteri var. carterei totalling approximately 904 seeds representing 136 maternal lines.

Lydia Cuni

01/06/2022

More than 15 years ago, Fairchild collected seeds of the Carter’s flax from a nearby USDA research station for long-term storage. This made freshly-collected seeds from the same population an ideal candidate for the network-wide seed ageing research project that CPC launched in 2021 in partnership with IMLS and NLGRP.

Though it has been a federally funded Agricultural Research Station since 1923, the 200 acres at Chapman Field in Miami have had to push back development pressures from its surrounding suburban neighborhood. The USDA station contains remnants of the globally imperiled pine rockland ecosystem with federally and state listed species, including arguably the world’s largest population of Carter’s flax.

In late June, near the end of the annual Carter’s flax life span, Fairchild field biologist Lydia Cuni visited the USDA station to collect fresh seeds for the project. She found a few hundred plants, many of which were flowering and fruiting. Lydia collected a total of 414 seeds from 39 maternal lines, of which 250 seeds from 14 maternal lines were sent to NLGRP. The remaining 164 seeds from 25 maternal lines were stored locally in Fairchild’s seed bank.

Center for Plant Conservation

11/05/2021

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden selected two bare areas at two sites with healthy populations of Linum carteri var. carteri to determine the in situ germination characteristics of seeds. On Jan 6, 2006, we collected 100 seeds from each site and sowed 10 seeds each in 10 4” embroidery hoops. One additional embroidery hoop was used as a control with no seeds sown. We covered the seeds with a light covering of on-site soil and did not provide any irrigation for the seeds. We made weekly observations with germination determined when the shoot emerged.

Because there was no germination after 7 months, we installed second trials with freshly collected summer seeds (as opposed to winter collected seeds). Due to problems with rain run-off and animal disturbances, we changed the embroidery hoops to open-ended pots. We used fresh seeds collected between July 14 and 19, 2006 at both sites. We again sowed 10 seeds each in 10 open-ended pint pots with a control pot containing no seeds. The seeds were also top-dressed with on-site soil and received no additional irrigation.

Winter collected seeds had 8% germination, however summer collected seeds had 23% germination by fall 2006 and 40% survival to May of 2007. Linum can produce fruit within 135 days at this site. Once mature, individuals may live one to several years producing multiple fruits. Without fire, the plants at this site may be smothered by pine litter or shaded heavily by woody species.

Center for Plant Conservation

11/05/2021

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden selected two bare areas at two sites with healthy populations of Linum carteri var. carteri to determine the in situ germination characteristics of seeds. On Jan 6, 2006, we collected 100 seeds from each site and sowed 10 seeds each in 10 4” embroidery hoops. One additional embroidery hoop was used as a control with no seeds sown. We covered the seeds with a light covering of on-site soil and did not provide any irrigation for the seeds. We made weekly observations with germination determined when the shoot emerged.

Because there was no germination after 7 months, we installed second trials with freshly collected summer seeds (as opposed to winter collected seeds). Due to problems with rain run-off and animal disturbances, we changed the embroidery hoops to open-ended pots. We used fresh seeds collected between July 14 and 19, 2006 at both sites. We again sowed 10 seeds each in 10 open-ended pint pots with a control pot containing no seeds. The seeds were also top-dressed with on-site soil and received no additional irrigation.

Winter collected seeds had no germination, however summer collected seeds had 24% germination by fall 2006 and 33% survival to May of 2007. Growth to maturity was achieved within 5 months.

Center for Plant Conservation

11/05/2021

Center for Plant Conservation

08/19/2021

In 2021, CPC contracted Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden to recollect seed from a population currently held in long term orthodox seed storage as part of an IMLS-funded seed longevity experiment. The National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation will evaluate how germination tested viability and RNA Integrity of seed lots decline over time in storage.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Endemic to Miami-Dade County, south Florida. Approximately eight extant occurrences are known; several have been recently extirpated by development. Only three extant sites are considered to be on conservation lands, and these contain a small number of plants in total. Viability of all remaining occurrences is uncertain due to their small and isolated nature. Preferred habitat includes disturbed edges of pine rocklands, a globally imperiled ecosystem. Highly threatened by ongoing urban development, and non-compatible management (lack of fire, inappropriately-timed mowing).

01/01/2010

habitat loss fire exclusion exotic pest plants

01/01/2010

5 sites, > 100 individuals