Photo by MNFI Staff

Key Characteristics

Small saprophytic annual (20-40 cm) of acidic sandy-peaty marshes; stems very slender, appearing leafless, but with tiny scale-like alternate leaves; flowers pink, tiny (2-4 mm), with 4 petals.

Status and Rank

• State Status: T - Threatened (legally protected)
• State Rank: S2 - Imperiled
• Global Rank: G5 - Secure

Occurrences

County Name	Number of Occurrences	Year Last Observed
Allegan	2	1998
Chippewa	1	1995
Luce	1	1983
Van Buren	1	1996

Information is summarized from MNFI's database of rare species and community occurrences. Data may not reflect true distribution since much of the state has not been thoroughly surveyed.

Natural Community Types

• Intermittent wetland
• Coastal plain marsh
• Lakeplain wet-mesic prairie
• Patterned fen

Associated Plants

Bog clubmoss, one-flowered muhly grass, grass-leaved goldenrod, beak-rush, bulrush, bog-buckbean, bluejoint grass, twig-rush, sedges, bushy aster, black-fruited spike-rush, umbrella-grass, northern clubmoss, panic grass, cross-leaved milkwort, bald rush, tall beak-rush, tooth-cup, netted nut-rush, hyssop hedge nettle, marsh St John's-wort, pipewort, autumn sedge, and meadow beauty; shrub margin may include: red maple, black gum, pin oak, black chokecherry, dogwoods, and buttonbush.

Management

Requires conservation of habitat and protection of hydrology, such as the maintenance of cyclical drawdown regime. Maintain moist, open habitat. It may also require natural disturbance such as fire to maintain relatively open habitat. Vulnerable to ORV impacts, dredging, and filling of sites.

General Survey Guidelines

Random meander search covers areas that appear likely to have rare taxa, based on habitat and the judgment of the investigator.

Survey Methods

• Meander search

  Survey Period: From first week of August to fourth week of October

  Survey Comments: Appears in drawdown years

More Information

References

Survey References

• Elzinga, C.L., D.W. Salzer, and J.W. Willoughby. 1998. Measuring and Monitoring Plant Populations. The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management, Denver. BLM Technical Reference 1730-1. 477pp.

• Goff, G.F., G.A. Dawson, and J.J. Rochow. 1982. Site examination for Threatened and Endangered plant species. Environmental Management 6(4): 307-316

• Nelson, J.R. 1984. Rare Plant Field Survey Guidelines. In: J.P. Smith and R. York. Inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California. 3rd Ed. California Native Plant Society, Berkeley. 174pp.

• Nelson, J.R. 1986. Rare Plant Surveys: Techniques For Impact Assessment. Natural Areas Journal 5(3):18-30.

• Nelson, J.R. 1987. Rare Plant Surveys: Techniques for Impact Assessment. In: Conservation and management of rare and endangered plants. Ed. T.S. Elias. California Native Plant Society, Sacramento. 8pp.

Technical References

• Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second edition. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 910pp.

• Godfrey, R.K. and Wooten. 1981. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States. Dicotyledons. University of Georgia Press, Athens. 712pp.

• Gray, A. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany; eighth ed. Van Nostrand Reinghold, New York. 1632pp.

• Holmgren, N.H. 1998. Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the vascular plants of Northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 937pp.

• Radford, A. E., H. E. Ahles, and C. R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. 1183pp.

• Voss, E.G. 1996. Michigan Flora. Part III. Dicots (Pyrolaceae-Compositae). Bulletin of the Cranbrook Institute of Science and University of Michigan Herbarium. 622pp.

Page Citation

For assistance with this site, email mnfi@msu.edu

MSU Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status or family status.