Search / Plant Profile / Oxypolis canbyi

Plant Profile

Canby's Dropwort (Oxypolis canbyi)

This shot of the Canby's dropwort, which stands 0.8 to 1.2 meters tall, highlights the flowers. Photo Credit: Marj Boyer

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Apiaceae
State: DE, GA, MD, NC, SC
Nature Serve ID: 139094
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 02/10/1987

Description:

Canbys dropwort is a perennial aromatic herb with quill-like leaves, slender stems and reproduces by strong, fleshy rhizomes. It is found in the Coastal Plain regions of Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in pond cypress savannas, shallows of ponds, sloughs, and wet pine savannas. It is strongly clonal and most populations are maintained by asexual reproduction, although it does display compound clusters of small white flowers from August through September (Murdock and Raynor 1990). Canbys dropwort was officially listed as endangered on February 25, 1986 due to its rarity and vulnerability to habitat modification. The main cause of decline is habitat alteration.

Where is Canby's Dropwort (Oxypolis canbyi) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Found on the lowland plain of the mid-Atlantic coast in swamps, shallow pineland ponds, and wet pine savanna. (USFWS 1986)Some of the species associated with Canbys dropwort include Ilex myrtifolia, Nyssa biflora, Taxodium ascendens, Pinus serotina, Stillingia aquatica, Rhynchospora tracyi, R. inundata, Manisuris rugosa, Rhexia aristosa, Polygala cymosa, Pluchea rosea, Lobelia boykinii and Hypericum denticulataum (NatureServe 2001).

Distribution:

Coastal Plain, from Delaware to Georgia (USFWS 1986)

States & Provinces:

Canby's Dropwort can be found in Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina

Which CPC Partners conserve Canby's Dropwort (Oxypolis canbyi)?

North Carolina Botanical Garden

Conservation Actions

Michael Kunz

01/10/2023

In 2022, NCBG staff collected seed of Oxypolis canbyi (Canby's dropwort) from two populations in SC, with continued assistance from the SC Natural Heritage Program and the SC Native Plant Society. The seed from one of the collections is for the IMLS seed longevity study. Other seeds from these collections will be placed into long-term storage and for future reintroduction efforts in NC.

Michael Kunz

12/02/2021

In September (2021) NCBG staff journeyed through the inner coastal plain of South Carolina to collect seeds of Oxypolis canbyi (Canby's dropwort). With the help of the SC Natural Heritage Program, we found a healthy population in a wetland embedded in a recently burned long leaf pine savanna. While collecting we noticed many of the seeds were empty, easily being crushed and falling apart as we collected. We continued to collect, hoping for the best, but ultimately found only 7 filled seeds in the collection. The habitat was extremely dry as the area experienced little rainfall in the month preceding collection. It is possible the dry conditions affected seed maturation. We will attempt again in 2022.

Center for Plant Conservation

08/19/2021

In 2021, CPC contracted North Carolina 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

Oxypolis canbyi is native to the Coastal Plain from southwestern Georgia through South Carolina to southeastern North Carolina, and from eastern MD to (historically) Delaware. Approximately 40 occurrences are believed extant, mostly in South Carolina and Georgia, with an additional 16 occurrences considered historical or of unknown status. There are likely over 10,000 total plants, as at least three Georgia occurrences have ""thousands"" of plants, and at least four South Carolina occurrences are described as ""very large."" Other sites have fewer plants. This species' herbaceous wetland habitats - characterized by long periods of inundation and little canopy cover - have declined significantly from historical levels due to drainage and conversion to pasture, farmland, and pine plantations. This threat continues to some extent presently. Habitat degradation is the other major threat to this species, primarily resulting from hydrological alterations and/or fire suppression, both of which can alter successional patterns to the detriment of this species. Water table-lowering activities in the general vicinity of sites can still constitute significant hydrological alteration, such that protecting the sites themselves may be insufficient to ensure persistence. A significant proportion of known occurrences are described as declining in habitat quality and/or population size; many require active management.

01/01/2010

Alteration of wetland habitat (drainage and development) Collection Predation from black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars (USFWS 1986)

01/01/2010

53 total populations, with 1 in Maryland, one in North Carolina, 28 in South Carolina, and 23 in Georgia. (USFWS 1986)

01/01/2010

North Carolina Plant Conservation Program has permanent monitoring plots in the only North Carolina population

01/01/2010

Habitat protection where known populations occur. Active management procedures are at present unclear.

01/01/2010

Population demography/monitoring Competition and other community-level interactions Pollination biology Underground biotic/abiotic dynamics Response to fire

01/01/2010

Collection from all populations Reintroduction