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FLORIDA BONAMIA Bonamia grandiflora |
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Photo of Florida Bonamia plant. |
Photo of Florida Bonamia flower. |
FAMILY: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)
STATUS: Threatened (Federal Register, November 2, 1987)
DESCRIPTION AND REPRODUCTION: The only morning glory vine with large, blue
flowers in Florida scrub vegetation (Wunderlin et al. 1980), Florida bonamia is a perennial with sturdy prostrate stems about a
meter (3 feet) long. The leathery oval
or ovate leaves, up to about 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) long, are either
upright or spreading. The flowers are
solitary in the leaf axils. The
funnel-shaped corolla is 7 to10 centimeters (2.7 to 3.9 inches) long and 7 to 8
centimeters (2.7 to 3.1 inches) across, pale but bluish purple with a white
throat, similar to the cultivated “Heavenly Blue” morning glory. The fruit is a capsule.
RANGE AND POPULATION LEVEL: Florida bonamia is
endemic to the peninsula where most of its known populations exist in the Ocala
National Forest, Marion County. It also
occurs south of the forest in Polk,
HABITAT: Florida bonamia’s
habitat is sand pine (Pinus clausa) scrub
vegetation with evergreen scrub oaks and sand pine. Sunny openings in the vegetation are occupied
by reindeer moss (Cladonia),
lichens, and herbs. In the Ocala
National Forest, where most of its remaining populations exist, Florida bonamia is restricted to these bare sunny sand areas,
including the margins of sand pine stands on road rights-of-way, fire lanes,
and other places which are kept clear of trees and shrubs. Florida bonamia
also occurs in clearcut areas in the Ocala National
Forest. In scrub vegetation in
REASONS FOR CURRENT STATUS: Urban and agricultural development,
especially citrus groves, have extirpated the plant from most of its
former range and continue to be the main threats. In Polk, Hardee, Orange, and Highlands
Counties, remnant populations are highly susceptible to obliteration of the
vegetation for citrus groves and residences.
Florida bonamia is also susceptible to trash
dumping, invasion by exotic plants and weeds, and damage from off-road
vehicles.
Normal
ecological succession also poses a threat to Florida bonamia
unless the habitat is kept open by occasional fires or equivalent mechanical
land disturbance. The state of Florida
currently lists this plant as endangered, but the law does not provide for
habitat protection.
MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION: Populations of Florida bonamia
in the Ocala National Forest appear to be large and quite secure. The species may be spreading from a limited
original range within the Forest. The
distribution (as mapped from roads) is roughly oval-shaped and does not seem to
coincide with any changes in vegetation or soils, suggesting that the
distribution may reflect expansion of the plant’s range along roads. Current and planned management practices
ensure an abundance of the plant’s early successional habitat. Forest Service management has also limited
off-road vehicle use. Florida bonamia is currently protected at 7 sites on the Lake Wales
Ridge, and acquisition of additional land is ongoing (Schultz et al. 1999).
Hartnett
and Richardson (1989) have shown that Florida bonamia
has long-lived fleshy root systems that enable the plant to recover rapidly
after fires, and that the plant also maintains substantial seed banks in the
soil. A study conducted at
REFERENCES:
Florida Department of Environmental Protection. 1998.
Experimental restoration procedures on a scrub site containing Florida bonamia (Bonamia grandiflora) at Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont,
Florida. Final report
to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation
and Parks, Bureau of Parks, District 3 Administration. 10 pp.
Schultz, G.E., L.G. Chafin, and S.T. Krupenvitch. 1999.
Rare plant species and high quality natural communities of twenty-six
CARL sites in the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem.
Final report of Florida Natural Areas Inventory for
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 202 pp.
Wunderlin, R., D. Richardson, and B. Hansen. 1980.
Status report on Bonamia
grandiflora. Unpublished report prepared for U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
For more information, please contact:
Dawn Zattau
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
6620 Southpoint Drive South, Suite 310
Jacksonville, Florida 32216
904/232-2580
Click here to contact via email
Last Updated: 08/2005
Last Reviewed: 08/2005
PDF Version - 263KB
Last modified September 27, 2005
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