Search / Plant Profile / Warea carteri

Plant Profile

Carter's Mustard (Warea carteri)

A closeup view of the white flowers of Carter's warea. Photo Credit: Jeff Ripple

Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Brassicaceae
State: FL
Nature Serve ID: 148409
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 04/04/1991

Description:

This rare plant was historically much more widespread than it is today. All known populations in Brevard, Broward, Miami-Dade, DeSoto and Glade counties have been extirpated, and the species is now found only on the Lake Wales Ridge in Lake, Polk, and Highlands counties, Florida. The main cause of this decline is due to habitat loss from residential and agriculture development. (Weekely and Menges 2002, USFWS 1999) Carter's warea is an annual herb that grows to a height of 1.5 meters. These single-stemmed plants usually have many slender, ascending branches that form an open, rounded crown at the top. Leaf size and shape varies with the age and position on the plant, and the lower leaves are lost by the time the plant flowers. Flowers have four white, petals, and are found in dense, rounded racemes containing many flowers (60 or more). The four petals are about 6 mm long, with more than half their length in the form of a slender claw. Flowering occurs in September and October, fruiting in October and November, and dispersal of seeds in November and early December. W. carteri's fruit is a silique, which is a long, slender pod. The pod carries numerous oblong seeds, and the fruits split apart passively to shed the seeds (USFWS 1999).

Where is Carter's Mustard (Warea carteri) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Warea carteri occurs in scrubby flatwoods and in turkey oak-and hickory- dominated sandhills, and is often found in the ecotone between these two vegetation types. W. carteri is often found in or near yellow sands. Some sites are adjacent to roads, firelanes, or in areas with historic human disturbance. The species appears only after fire. (USFWS 1999)

Distribution:

Warea carteri is now found only on the Lake Wales Ridge in Lake, Polk, and Highlands counties, Florida. (Weekely & Menges 2002)

States & Provinces:

Carter's Mustard can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Carter's Mustard (Warea carteri)?

Bok Tower Gardens

Conservation Actions

Tina Stanley

05/11/2023

According to a March 2023 extract of the Florida Plant Rescue Database, Bok Tower Gardens holds 10 accessions of Warea carteri totalling approximately 143616 seeds.

10/01/2020

Current research is investigating seedling demography and seedbank dynamics. (Weekely & Menges 2002). Monthly seedling survival surveys have been conducted since 1996 at the State Forest and at Archbold since 1999. (Weekely & Menges 2002)

10/01/2020

A number of lab and field germination experiments have been conducted on this species over the last decade. (Weekely & Menges 2002)

10/01/2020

Evans et al. (2000) studied the genetic diversity and reproductive biology of this species. Using isozymes, they found that much of the diversity detected was found among populations. Based on these results, they suggest that reserve design incorporate the entire range of the species, as each population contains individuals that are genetically unique. The species is self-compatible and capable of spontaneous self-fertilization (Weekely & Menges 2002).

10/01/2020

10/01/2020

The Plant Ecology Lab at Archbold Biological Station has investigated the breeding system and genetics of Carters mustard.

10/01/2020

The Plant Ecology Lab at Archbold Biological Station has investigated the breeding system and genetics of Carters mustard.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Endemic to Florida. Currently, about 36 occurrences are known; these are scattered along the Lake Wales Ridge. This species' habitat is highly desired for development, and dependent on landscape processes to maintain sandy openings. Most of the occurrences are on managed areas and some populations have over 1000 plants.

S.K. Maddox

01/01/2010

Habitat loss to residential and agricultural development. Trampling by off-road vehicles. Restricted to a specialized habitat and small geographic region. Lack of periodic fire. (USFWS 1991)

S.K. Maddox

01/01/2010

Because this species appears only after fire, population estimates are difficult. Large populations are known in 3 or 4 areas that are managed. (FNAI 2000)

S.K. Maddox

01/01/2010

The Plant Ecology Lab at Archbold Biological Station has investigated the breeding system and genetics of Carters mustard. Evans et al. (2000) studied the genetic diversity and reproductive biology of this species. Using isozymes, they found that much of the diversity detected was found among populations. Based on these results, they suggest that reserve design incorporate the entire range of the species, as each population contains individuals that are genetically unique. A number of lab and field germination experiments have been conducted on this species over the last decade. (Weekely & Menges 2002) Current research is investigating seedling demography and seedbank dynamics. (Weekely & Menges 2002)

S.K. Maddox

01/01/2010

Annual surveys have been conducted since 1988 at The Nature Conservancy's Tiger Creek Preserve, Archbold Biological Station, and Lake Placid Scrub, and at Lake Wales Ridge State Forest since 1995. (Weekely & Menges 2002) Monthly seedling survival surveys have been conducted since 1996 at the State Forest and at Archbold since 1999. (Weekely & Menges 2002)

S.K. Maddox

01/01/2010

Determine current distribution of Warea carteri. Manage sites to maintain scrubby flatwoods and turkey oak dominated high pine to support W. Carteri. Protect and enhance existing populations. Conduct research on life history characteristics of W. carteri. Monitor existing populations. Provide public information about W. carteri. Prevent degradation of existing habitat. Restore areas to suitable habitat. (USFWS 1999)

S.K. Maddox

01/01/2010

Conserve germplasm. (USFWS 1999)