Hartwrightia

Hartwrightia is a genus of North American flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae of the sunflower family.[1] The genus contains a single species, Hartwrightia floridana, native to the US states of Georgia and Florida.[2][3] The species is sometimes referred to by the common name Florida hartwrightia.[4]

Hartwrightia
Conservation status
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Eupatorieae
Genus:	Hartwrightia A.Gray ex S.Wats.
Species:	H. floridana
Binomial name
Hartwrightia floridana A.Gray ex S.Wats.

Although superficially similar to some species in Eupatorium, it can be distinguished by having a basal rosette of leaves, flowers of a different shape, and the fruit which lacks the parachute-like pappus found in Eupatorium.[5] The plant is about one meter tall. It flowers in the fall and the flowers are white to pink or blue.[6]

The genus is named for plant collector Samuel Hart Wright, 1825–1905.[6]

Taxonomy

Hartwrightia is classified in the subtribe Liatrinae of the tribe Eupatorieae, along with, for example, Liatris, Carphephorus, and Garberia.[7] Molecular data, while placing Hartwrightia firmly within subtribe Liatrinae, give mixed results regarding its closest relative. The nuclear ITS/ETS regions place it firmly with Trilisa, with which it shares multiple synapomorphies but also differs at multiple sites. In contrast, it is almost an exact match in the plastid DNA sequences with Carphephorus corymbosus. These results suggest that Hartwrightia may be of hybrid origin but is transgressive from either putative parental lineage for multiple morphological characters [8]

Ecology

Hartwrightia floridana is a herbaceous perennial which grows in the southeastern United States (Georgia and Florida). It is found in open areas, for example in pine flatlands,[9] but is not tolerant of grazing or solid forest cover. It seems to do better in the presence of regular fires. It is considered threatened and the biggest threat is loss of habitat. It requires wet soil, and is sensitive to hydrological changes.[5] The seed is a sticky achene without the large pappus which would suggest wind dispersal, so it is presumed to be transmitted by animals.[5]

References

1. D.J.N.Hind & H.E.Robinson. 2007. Tribe Eupatorieae In: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants vol.VIII. (Joachim W.Kadereit & Charles Jeffrey, volume editors. Klaus Kubitzky, general editor). Springer-Verlag. Berlin, Heidelberg.
2. Holzinger, J. M. 1893. The systematic position of Hartwrightia floridana. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 20: 287–288.
3. Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution map
4. "Hartwrightia floridana". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
5. "Hartwrightia floridana - Gray ex S. Wats". NatureServe.
6. "Hartwrightia A. Gray ex S. Watson". Flora of North America.
7. Schilling, Edward E.; Patricia B. Cox (2001). "Systematic analysis of Liatrinae (Asteraceae)". Botany 2001 Abstracts. Botanical Society of America. Archived from the original on 2001-04-27.
8. Schilling, E. E. 2011. Hybrid genera in Liatrinae (Asteraceae: Eupatorieae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59: 158-167.
9. Oliveira, L. O.; Huck, R. B.; Gitzendanner, M. A.; Judd, W. S.; Soltis, D. E.; Soltis, P. S. (2007). "Molecular phylogeny, biogeography, and systematics of Dicerandra (Lamiaceae), a genus endemic to the southeastern United States" (free full text). American Journal of Botany. 94 (6): 1017–27. doi:10.3732/ajb.94.6.1017. PMID 21636471.