Stellaria porsildii (Porsild's Starwort)
NONE
| USFWS | State of NM | USFS | BLM | Navajo Nation | State Rank | Global Rank | R-E-D Code | NMRPTC Status | Strategy Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEN | S1 | G1 | 2-1-2 | R | SS |
| Overall Conservation Status | Documented Threats | Actions Needed |
|---|---|---|
| WEAKLY CONSERVED | No information |
Status surveys on abundance, distribution and threats |
Perennial herb with slender rhizomes; stems erect, growing in clumps, but not densely matted, 9-18 cm tall, glabrous; leaves opposite, sessile, linear to linear-lanceolate, 27-35 mm long, ciliate at base; flowers solitary in upper leaf axils; peduncles 18-32 mm long; sepals not connate, green, glabrous, ovate-lanceolate, 4-6 mm long; petals 5, deeply bilobed, white, exceeding the calyx; styles 3; capsules oblong, black, 6-8 mm long; seeds dark brown, 0.8-1.0 mm in diameter. Flowers July and August.
Stellaria porsildii differs from other taxa within the S. longipes complex in having clumps of erect stems that are uniformly scattered and not mat-forming, solitary flowers in the axils of normal-sized leaves, and fertile stem leaves greater than 27 mm long. Pseudostellaria jamesiana is easily distiguished by its conspicuously glandular inflorescence.
New Mexico, Grant County, Pinos Altos Mountains; Arizona, Cochise County, Chiricahua Mountains.
In shade and partially open understory of mixed conifer and aspen forests, and occasionally scattered on roadsides with steep, loamy and rocky embankments; 2,400-2,500 m (7,900-8,200 ft).
The specific epithet honors A.E. Porsild for his knowledge of the Stellaria longipes Complex.
Additional field surveys are needed to document the distribution, abundance and habitat requirements of Stellaria porsildii. The effects of forest fires and livestock grazing on this shade-loving species have not been studied.
*Chinnappa, C.C. 1992. Stellaria porsildii, sp. nov., a new member of the S. longipes complex (Caryophyllaceae). Systematic Botany 17:29-32.
For distribution maps and more information, visit Natural Heritage New Mexico