Plants and Animals

Ruellia strepens Smooth ruellia

Key Characteristics

Forb to 1 m tall of floodplain forests; stem mostly hairless, bearing opposite, ovate leaves on short petioles; flowers tubular and blue to violet in color.

Status and Rank

US Status: No Status/Not Listed
State Status: E - Endangered (legally protected)
Global Rank: G4G5 - Rank is uncertain, ranging from apparently secure to secure
State Rank: S1 - Critically imperiled

Occurrences

CountyNumber of OccurrencesYear Last Observed
Lenawee 3 2010

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.

Habitat

Smooth ruellia is known only from a few sites in rich lowland woods in Lenawee County. The species is more widespread and common south of Michigan in Ohio, where it occurs in riparian forests, thickets, and streambanks. In the Chicago region, this species is known from shaded floodplains in the Kankakee River valley.

Natural Community Types

For each species, lists of natural communities were derived from review of the nearly 6,500 element occurrences in the MNFI database, in addition to herbarium label data for some taxa. In most cases, at least one specimen record exists for each listed natural community. For certain taxa, especially poorly collected or extirpated species of prairie and savanna habitats, natural community lists were derived from inferences from collection sites and habitat preferences in immediately adjacent states (particularly Indiana and Illinois). Natural communities are not listed for those species documented only from altered or ruderal habitats in Michigan, especially for taxa that occur in a variety of habitats outside of the state.

Natural communities are not listed in order of frequency of occurrence, but are rather derived from the full set of natural communities, organized by Ecological Group. In many cases, the general habitat descriptions should provide greater clarity and direction to the surveyor. In future versions of the Rare Species Explorer, we hope to incorporate natural community fidelity ranks for each taxon.

Associated Plants

Trees: Acer saccharinum (silver maple), Carya laciniosa (shellbark hickory), Celtis occidentalis (hackberry), Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash), Juglans nigra (black walnut), Platanus occidentalis (sycamore), Ulmus americana (American elm).

Shrubs and Vines: Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush), Toxicodendron radicans (poison-ivy), Vitis riparia (riverbank grape).

Herbs: Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed), Arisaema dracontium (green dragon), Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed), Carex davisii, C. grayi, C. lupulina, C. muskingumensis, C. stipata, C. tribuloides, Elymus virginicus (Virginia wild-rye), Iris virginica (southern blue flag), Laportea canadensis (wood nettle), Leersia oryzoides (cut grass), Persicaria lapathifolia (nodding smartweed), Rumex verticillatus (water dock), Saururus cernuus (lizard's-tail), Symphyotrichum ontarionis (Lake Ontario aster), Teucrium canadense (wood-sage), Viola sororia (common blue violet).

Management Recommendations

The species likely requires periodic disturbance of the forested canopy, as flowering plants are usually found in partial light in openings and at forest margins.

Survey Methods

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

  • Meander search

    • Survey Period: From third week of June to fourth week of August

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

  • Cooperrider, T.S. 1995. The Dicotyledonae of Ohio Part 2. Linaceae through Campanulaceae. Ohio State University Press, Columbus. 656pp.
  • Deam, C. C. 1940. Flora of Indiana. Department of Conservation, Indianapolis. 1236pp.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Mohlenbrock, R.H. 1986. Guide to the Vascular Flora of Illinois. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 507pp.
  • Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region, 4th ed. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis. 921pp.
  • Voss, E.G. 1996. Michigan Flora. Part III. Dicots (Pyrolaceae-Compositae). Bulletin of the Cranbrook Institute of Science and University of Michigan Herbarium. 622pp.