Trautvetteria applanata

Trautvetteria applanata is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. It is native to the east-central and southeastern United States. It was first described by Edward Lee Greene in 1912.

Description and habitat

Trautvetteria applanata is a rhizomatous perennial herb that grows in calcareous habitats, including dolomite bluffs, riverbanks, and moist streamside environments.

Distribution

The species occurs in the eastern and central United States, from eastern Kentucky, central Indiana, western Illinois, and southern Missouri southward through Tennessee to northwestern Georgia, central Alabama, central Arkansas, and northeastern Texas. Additional populations in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia are tentatively referred to this species pending further study.

Taxonomy

Trautvetteria applanata was first described in Leaflets of Botanical Observation and Criticism (volume 2, page 191) in 1912 by Edward Lee Greene. The type material originates from the southeastern United States, including Mississippi.

The species has often been included within Trautvetteria caroliniensis, and some taxonomic databases, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), continue to treat it as a synonym of that species. However, more recent regional treatments, including the Flora of the Southeastern United States, recognize it as a distinct species based on morphological and geographic differences.

NatureServe likewise recognizes the species concept but notes that its classification is still under evaluation. The original epithet was spelled "applanta" by Greene, but this is considered a correctable typographical error, with "applanata" now accepted.

Conservation

Trautvetteria applanata has not yet been assigned a global conservation rank (GNR) by NatureServe, reflecting uncertainty or ongoing evaluation of its taxonomic status. At the state level, it is considered critically imperiled (S1) in parts of its range, including Arkansas and Mississippi, and possibly critically imperiled (S1?) in North Carolina.

References

applanata Category:Endemic flora of the United States Category:Flora of the Southeastern United States Category:Plants described in 1912