Avon Park rattlebox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Avon Park rattlebox |
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| Conservation status | |
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Crotalaria
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| Species: |
C. avonensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Crotalaria avonensis DeLaney & Wunderlin
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Crotalaria avonensis is a very rare flowering plant. It belongs to the legume family. People also call it the Avon Park rattlebox, Avon Park harebells, or Avon Park rabbit-bells. This plant grows only in Central Florida in the United States. It is found in just three small areas. Many of these plants are on land that is not protected. This means they could be destroyed. Because it is so rare, the plant is listed as an endangered species by the government.
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What Does the Avon Park Rattlebox Look Like?
This plant is a perennial herb. This means it lives for more than two years. It has one to three hairy stems. These stems grow from a deep taproot. Most of the stem stays underground. Only about 10 centimeters (4 inches) grow above the ground.
The stems have thick, oval-shaped leaves. These leaves are covered in white or yellowish hairs. The plant produces yellow, pea-like flowers. These flowers are about one centimeter (0.4 inches) long. They grow in a cluster called a raceme.
After flowering, the plant makes a fruit. This fruit is a puffy legume pod. It can be dark red or brown. The pod can grow up to 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) long. Each pod holds about 18 seeds. After it flowers in the spring, the plant goes to sleep. This is called being dormant. It stays dormant for the rest of the year.
Where Does This Plant Live?
Scientists first collected this plant in 1950. But they did not know it was a new species until 1989. That's when it got its name.
The Avon Park rattlebox grows in a special place. This place is called the Florida scrub. It has white sand. This type of scrub is found on Florida's Lake Wales Ridge. The plant can handle some changes to its environment. It can also grow in places that are a little bit shady.
It often grows near other rare scrub plants. Some of these plants include:
- Small's jointweed (Polygonum dentoceras)
- Florida lady's nightcap (Bonamia grandiflora)
- Scrub blazing star (Liatris ohlingerae)
- Highlands Scrub St. John's wort (Hypericum cumulicola)
Why Is It Endangered?
The Avon Park rattlebox is in danger because its home is being destroyed. This is called habitat destruction. The plant lives in a small part of Central Florida. But this area is being used for new buildings. Many places where it used to grow are now homes or farms. Especially, many areas have become orange groves.
The plants are found in only two main groups. There is also one very small group. These groups are broken up into tiny, scattered spots. The biggest group of plants is on private land. This land is not protected. It is near Avon Park Lakes. This area is growing fast with new houses. The land that is left is broken up. It is also damaged by human activities. For example, people use off-road vehicles there. A small group nearby has fewer than 600 plants.
The third location is in better shape. The number of plants there is either slowly going down or staying the same. But it has been damaged too. Some plants were destroyed when roads were built.
Other things threaten the plant. These include:
- Non-native plants that grow where they shouldn't. Examples are cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) and pangolagrass (Digitaria eriantha).
- People dumping old cars and trash.
- Vandalism.
The plant was added to the endangered species list in 1993. Other rare Florida species were added at the same time. These included pigeon wings (Clitoria fragrans) and Florida perforate cladonia (Cladonia perforata), which is a lichen.
Helping the Avon Park Rattlebox
Scientists do not know everything about the plant's life cycle. Studies show it does not make many seeds. This is likely because it does not produce many flowers or fruits. Its flowers need pollination by insects. But not many insects have been seen visiting the plants.
The plant itself seems to live a long time. But it makes few seeds. And only a few of those seeds actually sprout. This means the plant is at high risk of becoming extinct.
Protecting the largest group of plants would help a lot. This group is on land that is quickly being built on. Other efforts are also happening. Scientists are trying to save parts of the plant. This is called cryopreservation. They freeze tiny parts of the plant called shoot tips. But not all scientists agree on this plan.
