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Biota
Baptisia lanceolata
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Baptisia lanceolata, known commonly as gopherweed, is a small, long-lived, woody plant in the pea family (Fabaceae). It is one of about 30 species in the genus Baptisia. The Baptisia species are also known as wild indigos. Although its name suggests it is a “weed,” gopherweed is a plant native to the southeastern United States.
Gopherweed inhabits dry longleaf pine woodlands, oak scrub and sandhills. It likes sunny areas, and also occurs in open or disturbed areas, for example, along roadways. While common along the gulf coast of Alabama, Georgia and the Florida panhandle, gopherweed is rare and patchily distributed in South Carolina and central Florida.
Gopherweed grows as a round bush reaching about 2-3 ft (0.6-1 m) high. Its leaves have a “lance” shape, that is, a narrow oval far longer than wide. Their shape distinguishes Baptisia lanceolata from other members of the Baptista genus. Thus gopherweed is also sometimes called lance-leaf indigo. Its leaves grow in groups of three leaflets, sometimes covered with light, fuzzy hair.
To live in dry habitats, gopherweed has an extensive and deep root system. As do many species of legume, gopherweed forms nodules along its roots to house nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This plant plays an important role in its ecosystem by returning fixed nitrogen to the soil. Fixed nitrogen is a limited nutrient in the soils where it lives, so this benefits the whole plant community.
Gopherweed blooms between March and May. It produces clusters of 2-4 small yellow flowers per stem. The flowers have a typical “pea family” shape. Pollination biologists note that the flowers attract a large number of native bee species. For this reason, the Xerces society for insect conservation considers gopherweed a valuable species for beneficial insects.
Like most legumes, gopherweed seeds develop in pods, which mature in July and August. The pods are almost spherical and have a large point on the end. Although this plant does not have many serious pests, Indigo weevils (Apion rostrum) and some moths (for example the three-lined grapholita moth, Grapholita tristrigana) lay their eggs in the developing gopherweed pod. The larvae hatch and as they grow they eat the gopherweed seeds. Indigo weevils can significantly reduce the number of seeds a gopherweed plant produces.
When ripe, healthy pods burst open, dispersing the seeds. The seeds are eaten by foraging small mammals (mostly rodents) and birds, which help with further seed dispersal. Harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex spp.) also disperse the seeds by carrying them to their nests.
As do other species of Baptisia, gopherweed produces toxic chemicals called quinolizidines that discourage herbivores. Despite this, gopherweed is still an important host plant to some insect larvae. Notable examples are the caterpillars of six butterfly species: the orange sulfur (Colias eurytheme), the common sulfur (Colias philodice), the frosted elfin (Callophrys irus), the eastern tailed blue (Cupido comyntas), the hoary edge (Achalarus lyciades), and the wild indigo duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae).
- Gibbon, W., R. R. Haynes, and J. L. Thomas. 1990. Poisonous Plants and Venomous Animals of Alabama and Adjoining States. The Univ. of Alabama Press. 345 pp.
- Horn, Scott; Hanula, James L. 2004. Impact of Seed Predators on the Herb Baptisia Lanceolata (Fabales: Fabaceae). Florida Entomologist 87(3):398-400 September 2004. Retrieved September 22, 2015 from http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ja/ja_horn004.pdf
- Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, 2015. Baptisia lanceolata. Native Plant Database University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved September 22, 2015 from http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BALA3.
- Nelson, G. 2006. Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers: A Guide To Common Wildflowers Of The Coastal Regions Of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, And Northeastern Florida (Wildflower Series). Pg. 191. Falcon Guides. ISBN-10: 0762734337.
- Simon, M.J. 2010. The Effects of Habitat Corridors and Edges on Sources of Seed Mortality: Implications for Restoring a Threatened legume. All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). Paper 488. Washington University in Saint Louis. Retrieved September 23 2015 from http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1487&context=etd
- Stringer, B. 2012. The genus Baptisia in South Carolina. The Journal of the South Carolina Native Plant Society. Winter, 2012. pp 6-10. Retrieved September 23 from http://scnps.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SCNPS_Winter_2012.pdf
- Woods, M. and A.R. Diamond, Jr. 2014. The genus Baptisia in Alabama. Phytoneuron 2014-83: 1–11. ISSN 2153 733X Retrieved September 22, 2015 from http://phytoneuron.net/2014Phytoneuron/83PhytoN-BaptisiaAlabama.pdf
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Dana Campbell, Dana Campbell |
Source | No source database. |
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Baptisia+lanceolata |
Global Range: Regional endemic: southeastern coastal plain from South Carolina (barely) to central Florida (barely).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Baptisia+lanceolata |
Perennial, Herbs, Stems woody below, or from woody crown or caudex, Plants with rhizomes or suckers, Nodules present, Stems erect or ascending, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules inconspicuous, absent, or caducous, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules deciduous, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves palmately 2-3 foliate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets 3, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Flowers in axillary clusters or few-floweredracemes, 2-6 flowers, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Inflorescence terminal, Bracts conspicuously present, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals orange or yellow, Banner petal ovoid or obovate, Banner petal suborbicular, broadly rounded, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing petals auriculate, Wing tips obtuse or rounded, Keel petals auriculate, spurred, or gibbous, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens completely free, separate, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Style persistent in fruit, Fruit a legume, Fruit stipitate, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit tardily or weakly dehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit orbicular to subglobose, Fruit or valves persistent on stem, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit inflated or turgid, Fruit beaked, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seeds reniform, Seed surface smooth, Seed surface with resinous dots, Seeds olive, brown, or black.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Compiled from several sources by Dr. David Bogler, Missouri Botanical Garden in collaboration with the USDA NRCS NPDC |
Source | http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BALA3 |
Comments: NC & SC: "sandhills and open woods", FL: "sandhills, flat- woods, bogs, scrub, pine-oak-hickory woods".
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Baptisia+lanceolata |
Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.
Estimated Number of Occurrences: 21 to >300
Comments: Rare in SC(2 counties?) and central FL, but apparently com- mon in GA and panhandle FL.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Baptisia+lanceolata |
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: N4 - Apparently Secure
Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure
Reasons: Potentially quite rare, certainly restricted range. However, if turns out to be as abundant in GA as Atlas indicates (almost half of counties!), and in panhandle FL, could be G3. Recommended rank of G4? from GAHP (5/94).