U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service February 2019 Conserving South Carolina’s At-Risk Species: www.fws.gov/charleston www.fws.gov/southeast/endangered-species-act/at-risk-species Species facing threats to their survival
Purpledisk honeycombhead Range of its naturally rare wet savannah and bog (a.k.a—Purple balduina) Purpledisk honeycombhead is known habitat has been altered or destroyed by (Balduina atropurpurea) from the Coastal Plain of Georgia, Flori- fire suppression and by drainage and con- da, South Carolina, and possibly, Alabama version to agriculture and pine planta- and North Carolina. In South Carolina, tions. Conversion of habitat for develop- the species is known from Darlington and ment is also a threat. Richland counties. Management/Protection Needs Burning every 2 to 3 years during the growing season to control woody vegeta- tion is recommended. Prevent alterations to wetland hydrology by avoiding drain- ing, ditching, firebreak construction, Purpledisk honeycombhead/Alan Cressler clearing, bedding, and soil disturbance. Hand thinning of shading trees may be Description beneficial. Purpledisk honeycombhead is a perennial herb 1 - 3¼ feet tall. Stems are erect, angled, and purplish at the base. It has basal leaves up to 5 inches long and ½ inch Purpledisk honeycombhead - Counties of Oc- wide, with dark red leaf stalks. Stem currence leaves are smaller, widely spaced, alter- nate, slightly fleshy, spoon-shaped, and Habitat dotted with tiny translucent glands. The plant can be found in wet pine flat- Flower heads have many dark, reddish- woods, savannahs, peaty hillside seepage purple disk flowers in the center, and 10 - bogs, and pitcherplant bogs. It is usually 20 yellow ray flowers, each ray with 3 - 5 associated with longleaf pine (Pinus palus- Purpledisk honeycombhead habitat/Pete Pat- teeth at the tip. Fruits are small, dry, and tris) or slash pine (P. elliottii). tavina seed-like, held in an elevated “honeycombed” receptacle at the center of Status References the head. The “honeycomb” may be seen NatureServe gives purpledisk honey- Georgia Department of Natural Resources by removing the disk flowers or the fruits. combhead a Rounded Global Status of G2 - Rare Plant Species Profiles: http:// Yellow honeycombhead (Balduina uniflora) - Imperiled. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/ often grows with purpledisk honey- Service was petitioned to list the species in uploads/wildlife/nongame/pdf/ combhead; it has yellow disk flowers. April 2010 and in September 2011, issued accounts/plants Southeastern tickseed (Coreopsis gladiata) a 90-day finding that the petition present- NatureServe. 2017. NatureServe Explor- has dark red disk flowers, but only 5 - 8 ed substantial scientific or commercial er: An online encyclopedia of life [web ray flowers and no “honeycomb.” Sneeze- information indicating that listing may be application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, weeds (Helenium spp.) often have purple warranted. The species is being reviewed Arlington, Virginia. Available http:// disk flowers but they bloom in the spring for possible listing under the Endangered explorer.natureserve.org. and early summer, and lack the gland- Species Act. Contact dotted leaves and honeycombed recepta- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service cle. Blanket flower (Gaillardia spp.) has Threats South Carolina Field Office yellow rays and dark disk flowers, but A southeastern Coastal Plain endemic 843/727-4707 occurs only in dry, sandy uplands. with widely separated occurrences, much [email protected]