Hammond's Yellow Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae)

Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae Hammond's spring beauty blossom Photo Credit: Uli Lorimer

Global Rank: T1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Portulacaceae
State: NJ
Nature Serve ID: 147126
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

The plants grow in clumps at the edge of and also in spring fed acidic water seepages along the lower southeast flank of the Kittatiny Mountains in Northwestern New Jersey. The plants are morphologically indistinguishable from Claytonia virginica, except for petal and anther color. Typical plants of the Claytonia vriginica complex have pink to white petals with pink veins and anthers. Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae has yellow petals ranging from deep yellow to yellow-orange. Petal veins of most plants are yellow, and barely contrast with the background color of the petals. Scattered individuals within the population have petals with orange to red-orange veins. On all plants, the anthers are white and the filaments are yellow. (Snyder 1992)

Where is Hammond's Yellow Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae) located in the wild?

Habitat:

According to Snyder (1992), Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae is restricted to an extensive wetland complex underlain by a clay fragipan. The numerous springs that originate both onsite and from further upslope, provide a fairly constant supply of water throughout the year. Where the plants occur, soil conditions range from extremely moist to saturated. During the spring months, plants are frequently inundated by the overeflowing brooks and the upwelling and pooling of water in seepage areas and plants of some subpopulations often flower, set seed, and senesce in, or surrounded by, standing water. Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae occurs in both forested and open wetland communities. The forested sites are characterized by a canopy dominated by Tsuga canandensis, Pinus strobus, Betula alleghaniensis, and Acer rubrum. In places the shrub layer is a dense tangle of Rhododendron maximum with a scattering of Lindera benzoin and Hamamelis virginiana. Herbs associated with C. virginica var. hammondiae at one of these forested sites include Equisetum arvense, Osmunda cinnamomea, Onoclea sensibilis,Athyrium filix-femina, Glyceria melicaria, Carex leptalea, C. prasina, C. scabrata, Symplocarpus foetidus, Listera cordata, Maianthemum canadense, Veratrum viride, Coptis trifolius, Ranunculus septentrionalis, Cardamine bulbosa, Polygala paucifolia, Chyrsosplenium americanum, Saxifraga pensylvanica, Viola cucullata, Panax trifolius, Trientalis borealis, and Senecio aureus. Soil pH at this site was measured at 3.5. The open wetlands are less diverse, with Deschampsia cespitosa, Carex bromoides, and Carex atlantica var. incomperta the obvious dominants. Osmunda cinnamomea, Symplocarpus foetidus, Maianthemum canadense, Viola cucullata, Kalmia angustifolia, Coptis trifolius, and Solidago puberula are scattered to isolated. The pH of these communities ranged from 4.5 to 4.7. There is some evidence of part human disturbance in or adjacent to both of these open communities. Species of Sphagnum occur in both forested and open sites, but are most abundant in the grass and sedge dominated communities. Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae occasionally is found growing in pockets and on hummocks of Sphagnum, particularly at the more open sites.

Distribution:

George Kalmbacher, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, reported that on May 15, 1967, Emilie K. Hammond discovered a colony of yellow flowering plants at the base of the Kittatiny Mountains

States & Provinces:

Hammond's Yellow Springbeauty can be found in New Jersey

Which CPC Partners conserve Hammond's Yellow Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica var. hammondiae)?

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

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

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

The Nature Conservancy owns one tract where Claytonia virginica var hammondiae occurs; all the other sites are registered: the plant has a state protection of LE in New Jersey. Threats to some of the populations are runoff with slight erosion and human disturbance.(Element File, Claytonia virginica, PDPOR030Q0, Botany Department, TNC Home Office)