Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Sea-pink Sabatia stellaris flower Scientific Name Sabatia stellaris Pursh Family Name Gentianaceae Gentian Family Did you know? The species name means star and this beautiful wildflower is really the star of the salt marsh with its stunning pink and yellow flowers visible from midsummer into the fall. Photo credits: Kimberly J. Smith Summary Protection Threatened in New York State, not listed federally. This level of state protection means: listed species are those with: 1) 6 to fewer than 20 extant sites, or 2) 1,000 to fewer than 3,000 individuals, or 3) restricted to not less than 4 or more than 7 U.S.G.S. 7 ½ minute topographical maps, or 4) listed as threatened by U.S. Department of Interior. Rarity G5, S2 A global rarity rank of G5 means: This species is demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. A state rarity rank of S2 means: This plant is threatened/imperiled in New York because of rarity (typically 6-20 populations or few remaining individuals) or is vulnerable to extirpation from New York due to biological factors. Conservation Status in New York There are seven existing populations with hundreds of plants each. Three of the populations are threatened by Phragmites. There are 17 historical populations known from the late 1800s through the 1970s which have not been rediscovered. Two other populations are now considered extirpated. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Sea-pink (Sabatia stellaris) Short-term Trends The short-term trends are not fully known. Three of the seven existing populations have been resurveyed and seem stable. More surveys for the remaining populations are needed to determine the trend. Long-term Trends The long-term trend is apparantly negative. Most of the historical collections of this species are from New York City and western Long Island, where much of the salt marsh habitat has been destroyed or severely impacted. This species has likely declined over the last century, although additional surveys of historical sites are needed. Conservation and Management Threats Invasion of salt marshes or brackish meadows by European common reed (Phragmites australis ssp. australis) is a threat to some populations. Ditching and other human impacts to hydrology or water quality are threats at some sites as well. The impact of sea-level rise on high salt marsh communities and their constituent rare species (including Sea-pink) is a potential threat. Conservation Strategies and Management Practices Control Phragmites invasions in the salt marshes that support this species and prevent any new incursions. Natural buffers should be established around the salt marshes to decrease pollution runoff and other direct human disturbances. Research Needs Research is needed to determine techniques for the successful augmentation of populations after Phragmites removal. Habitat In New York, Sea Pink has been most often collected from areas of high salt marsh. It also can be found in wet, brackish habitats such as interdunal swales, brackish meadows, and ponds (New York Natural Heritage 2011). Salt or brackish marshes along the coast (Gleason and Cronquist 1991). Associated Ecological Communities Brackish Interdunal Swales Temporarily tidally flooded temperate marshes in interdunal swales dominated by salt-tolerant graminoids. Individual swales occur as small patches positioned between fore-, primary and secondary dunes in a maritime dunes system, typically on barrier islands. Brackish Meadow A moist, moderately well-drained brackish (salinity 0.5-18 ppt) perennial grassland with NYNHP Conservation Guide - Sea-pink (Sabatia stellaris) 2 occasional isolated shrubs that is typically situated in a belt at the upper edge of salt marshes bordering sandy uplands, but may occupy large portions of interdunal basins. The community usually develops in areas with a unique combination of soils and hydrology, on deep deposits of periodically windblown or overwashed gleyed sands that are usually flooded only during spring tides and during major coastal storms, approximately two to three times per year. High Salt Marsh A coastal marsh community that occurs in sheltered areas of the seacoast, in a zone extending from mean high tide up to the limit of spring tides. It is periodically flooded by spring tides and flood tides. High salt marshes typically consist of a mosaic of patches that are mostly dominated by a single graminoid species. Associated Species Salt-marsh False-foxglove (Agalinis maritima) Halberd-leaf Saltbush (Atriplex patula) Eastern Baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia) Inland Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) Marsh Elder (Iva frutescens) Toad Rush (Juncus bufonius) Canada Rush (Juncus canadensis) Black-grass Rush (Juncus gerardii) Sea-lavender (Limonium carolinianum) Green Carpet-weed (Mollugo verticillata) Sweet Bayberry (Myrica gale) Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Seaside Plantain (Plantago maritima var. juncoides) Whorled Milkwort (Polygala verticillata) Dwarf Glasswort (Salicornia bigelovii) Glasswort (Salicornia depressa) Russian Thistle (Salsola kali) Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) Saltwater Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) Saltmeadow Cordgrass (Spartina patens) Trailing Fuzzybean (Strophostyles helvula) Eastern Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) Identification Comments Sea-pink is an annual herb in the gentian family. Its stem may be up to 60 centimeters tall, with opposite leaves. The middle leaves of the main stem are 2 to 4 centimeters long, entire and oblanceolate, and taper to the base. The upper leaves are linear and tapered to the base. The striking flowers are pink (sometimes white) with a yellow center, its petals are 9 to 18 millimeters long, exceeding the lobes of the calyx. The fruit are capsules. (Gleason and Cronquist 1991) NYNHP Conservation Guide - Sea-pink (Sabatia stellaris) 3 Best Life Stage for Identifying This Species Flowering specimens or fruiting specimens are best. The Best Time to See Sea-pink flowers in August and September and a few blooms may persist into October. Flowering Fruiting Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec The time of year you would expect to find Sea-pink in New York. Similar Species Sabatia stellaris is most similar to S. campanulata. S. campanulata differs by being a perennial species growing from a thick caudex, by having leaves with a broad, sessile base, by the calyx lobes equaling the corolla, and by the lateral peduncles having 1 or 2 bracts (S. stellaris has bractless peduncles). (Enser 2004, Gleason and Cronquist 1991) Taxonomy Kingdom Plantae Phylum Anthophyta Class Dicots (Dicotyledoneae) Order Gentianales Family Gentianaceae (Gentian Family) Additional Common Names Marsh-pink Synonyms Stellaria amoena ((Raf.) G. Don) Additional Resources NYNHP Conservation Guide - Sea-pink (Sabatia stellaris) 4 Links New England Plant Conservation Program http://www.newfs.org/docs/pdf/sabatiastellaris.pdf Nearctica - Eastern Wildflowers http://www.nearctica.com/flowers/dtoh/gentian/Sstell.htm USDA Plants Database http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?mode=sciname&keywordquery= SABATIA+STELLARIS NatureServe Explorer http://natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=SABATIA+STELLARIS Google Images http://images.google.com/images?q=SABATIA+STELLARIS Best Identification Reference Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp. References Clemants, Steven and Carol Gracie. 2006. Wildflowers in the Field and Forest. A Field Guide to the Northeastern United States. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. 445 pp. Crow, Garrett E. and C. Barre Hellquist. 2000. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Northeastern North America: A revised and enlarged edition of Norman C. Fassett's a Manual of Aquatic Plants. Volume One: Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, and Angiosperms: Dicotyledon Enser, Richard. 2004. Sabatia stellaris Pursh Sea pink Conservation and Research Plan for New England. New England Wildflower Society. Framingham, MA Holmgren, Noel. 1998. The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L. 1995. Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery, and map unit tables. Mitchell, Richard S. and Gordon C. Tucker. 1997. Revised Checklist of New York State Plants. Contributions to a Flora of New York State. Checklist IV. Bulletin No. 490. New York State Museum. Albany, NY. 400 pp. NatureServe. 2005. NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA New York Natural Heritage Program. 2010. Biotics database. New York Natural Heritage Program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, NY. Newcomb, Lawrence. 1977. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide: An Ingenious New Key System for Quick, Positive Field Identification of the Wildflowers, Flowering Shrubs, and Vines of Northeastern and North-Central North America. Little, Brown and Company. Boston. Weldy, T. and D. Werier. 2010. New York flora atlas. [S.M. Landry, K.N. Campbell, and L.D. Mabe (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research http://www.fccdr.usf.edu/. University of South Florida http://www.usf.edu/ NYNHP Conservation Guide - Sea-pink (Sabatia stellaris) 5 New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-4757 Phone: (518) 402-8935 [email protected] NYNHP Conservation Guide - Sea-pink (Sabatia stellaris) 6 This project is made possible with funding from: - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program - Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Information for this guide was last updated on Nov 19, 2015 This guide was authored by Stephen M. Young, Richard M. Ring. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Sea-pink (Sabatia stellaris) 7