Nitrophila mohavensis

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Amaranthaceae s.l.
Cladus: Amaranthaceae s.str.
Subfamilia: Polycnemoideae
Tribus: Polycnemeae
Genus: Nitrophila
Species: Nitrophila mohavensis
Name

Nitrophila mohavensis Munz & J.C.Roos, Aliso 3: 112. (1955)

Type locality: USA: California: Inyo Co.: open flats of Amargosa Desert, 3 mi NE of Death Valley jct along Ash Meadows Rd; 2050 ft.
Holotype: 1954-06-13, Roos, J.C. & Roos, A.R. #6140. RSA-89531 RSA0002412; Isotypes: A A00037211, CAS CAS0007247, CAS0213916, COLO COLO00385682, DAV DAV129000, DAV95793, DS, GH GH00037210, K K000898778, LA LA00000092, MEXU MEXU00653440, MO MO-216253, MO-216254, NY, RM RM0002246, RSA0002413, RSA0002414, SBBG SBBG000089, TEX TEX00370680, UCSB UCSB000018, UCR UCR0000011, US US00102509, WTU.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Northern America
Southwestern U.S.A.
California, Nevada

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Munz, P.A. & Roos, J.C. 1955. California Miscellany III. Aliso 3(2): 111–119. DOI: 10.5642/aliso.19550302.03 Reference page. : 112–114, f. 1–3

Additional references

Masson, R. & Kadereit, G. 2013. Phylogeny of Polycnemoideae (Amaranthaceae): Implications for biogeography, character evolution and taxonomy. Taxon 62 (1): 100–111. DOI: 10.1002/tax.621009 JSTORReference page.
eFloras 2008. Nitrophila mohavensis in Flora of North America . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Nitrophila mohavensis. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Nov. 19. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Nitrophila mohavensis. Published online. Accessed: Nov. 19 2019.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Nitrophila mohavensis in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Nov. 19. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2019. Nitrophila mohavensis. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Nov. 19.

Vernacular names
English: Amargosa niterwort

Nitrophila mohavensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common name Amargosa niterwort. It is endemic to Nye County in southwestern Nevada and Inyo County, in eastern California.

Distribution

Nitrophila mohavensis is endemic to the Amargosa Desert, straddling the border of California and Nevada east of Death Valley and near Death Valley National Park. There are three occurrences known on the Nevada side[1] and fewer than five occurrences in California.[2]

The plant grows only in alkaline salt pans made up of moist and drying, salt-encrusted clay soils surrounded by other halophytes, such as Atriplex confertifolia and Cleomella brevipes.[1][3]
Description

Nitrophila mohavensis, the Amargosa niterwort, is a petite rhizomatous perennial herb growing no more than about 10 centimeters tall. It produces erect branches, often in pairs, covered in fleshy oval-shaped green leaves 3 or 4 millimeters long.

The inflorescence is a solitary flower or cluster of a few flowers emerging from between the leaves. The flower lacks petals but has pink petallike sepals which fade white with age.
Conservation

Nitrophila mohavensis is a federally listed endangered species. Its range is restricted and highly localized, making it vulnerable to severe losses or extinction in a single event.[4]

The plant only occurs within and around the remnants of Carson Slough in the Ash Meadows area, including within Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge which is a protected area but is still affected by alterations in the hydrology of the landscape.[2] The plant relies on saturation of its soil by a high water table, and the main threat to its existence is the pumping of groundwater.[5] Other threats include potassium and zeolite mining in the area and occasional illegal off-road vehicle use.[5]
See also

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Amargosa River
Amargosa Valley

References

Nevada Natural Heritage Program Rare Plant Fact Sheet
California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
Flora of North America
USFWS. Determination of threatened status with critical habitat for six plants and one insect in Ash Meadows, Nevada and California; and endangered status with critical habitat for one plant in Ash Meadows, Nevada and California. Federal Register May 20, 1985
USFWS. Amargosa Niterwort Five Year Review. December 2007.