Five of those are listed as "threatened" in NJ and only the American Chaffseed is listed as endangered in our state.
Endangered and threatened plants don't get the attention that animals do - which probably threatens them even more.
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| American chaffseed - USFWS, NJ Field Office |
American Chaffseed (Schwalbea americana) is the sole species currently classified in the genus Schwalbea. It is an erect, hemiparasitic, perennial herb that is native to the southeastern United States where it is found in wet acidic grasslands. But the species has declined tremendously from its historical range due to fire suppression, and it is currently listed as "Endangered" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
American chaffseed occurs in sandy (sandy peat, sandy loam), acidic, seasonally-moist to dry soils. It is generally found in early successional habitats described as open, moist pine flatwoods, fire-maintained savannas, areas between peaty wetlands and xeric (dry) sandy soils, bog borders, and other open grass-sedge systems.
American chaffseed is dependent on factors such as fire, mowing, or fluctuating water tables to maintain the crucial open to partly-open conditions that it requires. The species appears to be shade intolerant. American chaffseed occurs in species-rich plant communities where grasses, sedges, and savanna dicots are numerous.
American chaffseed is currently known to occur only in Burlington County, but the species formerly occurred in Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic, Cumberland, and Cape May Counties.
More at https://www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice/endangered/chaffseed.html
The other plants listed as threatened in NJ are:
- Amaranth, seabeach (Amaranthus pumilus)
- Beaked-rush, Knieskern's (Rhynchospora knieskernii)
- Pogonia, small whorled (Isotria medeoloides)
- Pink, swamp (Helonias bullata)
- Joint-vetch, Sensitive (Aeschynomene virginica)
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