Guthrie's Ground Plum (Pyne's Ground Plum) Astragalus bibullatus

BY: GRACE GUTHREY

FORWARD

I chose this species of plant for obvious reasons... Being a fellow Guthrey, I feel obligated to protect members of my family, however distant. I hope to spread word of this species' endangerment and therefore increase its chances of revival and long-time survival.

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ECOLOGY

Guthrie's ground-plum is a small, purple legume endemic to Tennessee, specifically concentrated in the cedar glades. 

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The cedar glades are located in central Tennessee and are set aside as protected land full of endangered species and habitats. Guthrie's Ground Plum is able to thrive in this area, and in this area alone, because of the exposed bedrock, poor drainage, thin soils, and lack of vegetation to block sunlight. Additionally, the typically wet winter and spring, as well as the dry and hot summer weather provide the ground plum with the perfect conditions to grow.

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Guthrie's Ground Plum, or Pyne's Ground Plum, was named after Milo Pyne who discovered the species in the 1980s. It grows up from the ground and then, as the purple plum-shaped fruits bloom, it begins to droop low to the ground where the blooms continue to develop on the ground. 

Flowers bloom in the spring followed by fruit in the summer. At most, fifty fruits can bloom on one plant. Once the fruits mature, they're red and yellow colored, though initially purple.

POPULATION

The only populations of Guthrie's Ground Plum exist in Rutherford County, Tennessee. A total of eight populations have been discovered. While five are located on public lands, three populations of bibullatus are located on private lands.

LISTING

Guthrie's ground-plum was listed on September 26, 1991 as an endangered species.

WHAT'S HURTING THEM?

This species is most threatened by development by humans including residential, commercial and industrial. Additionally, Guthrey's Ground Plum is threatened by livestock that graze in locations near  or in their habitat as well as rabbits that feed on it. Other minor threats include encroachment of other vegetation (ex: cedar), off-road vehicles, dumping of wastes and pollution.

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SAVE THE PLUM!

The cost to recover Guthrie's Ground Plum will amount to approximately $2710. If these funds are provided, the expected recovery date is 2025.

Because the goal is to ensure long-term recovery for the Guthrie Ground Plum, we must address all current threats to its existence and expand on its current habitat so that it will not be re-listed. 

Thus, the steps to recovery are these:

a). Acquire habitat. 

Because three occurrences of the bibullatus exist on private property, the recovery plan looks toward acquiring these lands in the future to place under federal ownership and protection.

b). Pursue protection with landowners. 

Ideally, these private landowners would sell or donate the land that contains bibullatus on the property. However, not all landowners are willing enough and therefore must be reasoned with about protecting the species while they still own the land.

c). Develop and implement adaptive management plans for each occurrence. 

Each population is threatened by different things and must have its own location-specific management plan. Each plan would 1), describe the desired ecological condition at the site, 2), identify threats, 3), outline management strategies for these threats, and 4), provide a schedule of management or identify thresholds that would result in specific management responses.

d). Monitor population structure, demographic processes, and threats and assess population growth rates and viability. 

This step in the recovery process involves identifying and monitoring factors that could limit population growth or lead to declines in population.

e). Identify suitable unoccupied habitat and establish new occurrences. 

To ensure long term recovery, we need to establish more habitats for the bibullatus to inhabit. This step includes searching for new areas with similar climate and soil.

f). Communicate with local officials to coordinate city and county planning. 

"Meet periodically with local city and county officials to solicit their participation in the conservation of the species." Because many of the threats to Guthrie's Ground Plum are related to development by humans, this step would be crucial in keeping the city and county from building near or on these habitats.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

While Guthrie's Ground Plum is not very well known nor is it a "warm and fuzzy" animal species that captures the attention of more people, it is just as important as other listed species on the recovery plan. As an individual, there isn't much you can do to prevent extinction of Guthrie's Ground Plum. However, one of the actions listed under the recovery plan is to study its life history and ecological requirements. Be aware! Now that you've read this blog post, take the time to share it with family and friends! The more people know about this species, the more likely attention will be brought to recovering it and ultimately delisting the species altogether! 

LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION? 

Check out this book!
Vascular Flora of the Southeastern United States
Vol. 3, Part 2:Leguminosae (fabaceae)

Written by Duane Isely

                                                                                                                                  (5)

SOURCES:

PHOTOS:

(1). http://www.joelsartore.com/stock/search/?search=%22guthrie%27s+ground+plum%22

(2). http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=8648

(3). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_glade#/media/File:Cedar-glade-col-tn5.jpg

(4). http://www.joelsartore.com/stock/search/?search=%22guthrie%27s+ground+plum%22
(5). http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=277

RESEARCH:

http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/collection/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=8648

http://www.mtsu.edu/mtsucee/cedar_glades.php

http://www.arkive.org/pynes-ground-plum/astragalus-bibullatus/
http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=277

RECOVERY PLAN: 
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/20110722b_Pynes%20ground%20plum_RP_final_1.pdf