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*The following is based on text excerpted from: Gann, G.D., K.A. Bradley, & S.W. Woodmansee. 2002. Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration. The Institute for Regional Conservation: Miami. For the original text, click on the link above and go to the chapter and page number listed in the Update field below. Cite this page as: Gann, G.D., and S.W. Woodmansee. 2006-2013. Species Account Update, Floristic Inventory of South Florida Database Online. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida. If no Update field is displayed, then cite as the original publication.
Micranthemum umbrosum (J.F. Gmel.) S.F. Blake

Shade mudflower

South Florida Status: Critically imperiled. Four occurrences in three conservation areas (Halpatiokee Regional Park; Jonathan Dickinson State Park; Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve) and one non-conservation area (vicinity of Fisheating Creek).

Taxonomy: Dicotyledon; Scrophulariaceae.

Habit: Perennial terrestrial herb.

Distribution: Native to the southeastern United States. Wunderlin (1998) reports it as frequent in Florida from the northern counties south to the central peninsula.

South Florida Distribution: Glades, Lee, and Martin counties.

South Florida Habitats: Cypress swamps, riverside swamp forests, river banks, and wet disturbed sites.

Protection Status: Not listed by any agency.

Aids to Identification: Tobe et al. (1998) has an illustration and a color photo.

References: Chapman, 1883; Small, 1933a; Pennell, 1935; Godfrey & Wooten, 1981; Tobe et al., 1998; Wunderlin, 1998; Liogier & Martorell, 2000.

Synonyms: M. orbiculatum Michx.; Globifera umbrosa J.F. Gmel.


Historical Context: Leonard J. Brass first collected shade mudflower in 1945 along Fisheating Creek in Glades County (14834, US). It also was collected along Fisheating Creek by John Popenoe in 1977 (1010, FTG). In 2000, Bradley observed this species to be common in ditches in the vicinity of Fisheating Creek north of Palmdale. It is almost certainly present within the newly established Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area.

In 1980, Richard P. Wunderlin and others collected shade mudflower in a canal in North Fort Myers (8849, USF). In 1997, it was observed by Bradley and Woodmansee in a strand swamp at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve southeast of Fort Myers, but this station needs to be vouchered.

In 1981, John Popenoe collected shade mudflower at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County (1971, USF). This collection was made at the edge of a sewage treatment plant, but the species probably occurs in cypress domes or river banks in the park. In 2000, Woodmansee and Martin County biologist Sandra Vardaman observed shade mudflower at Halpatiokee Regional Park, also in Martin County, but this station needs to be vouchered.

Major Threats: Hydrological modifications; exotic pest plant invasions.

Comments: This is a temperate species at the southern end of its range, and it always may have been uncommon in South Florida. Additional surveys may indicate that shade mudflower is more common than it appears, and it may be down-ranked to imperiled in South Florida in the future.

Recommendations: • Voucher plants at Halpatiokee Regional Park and Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. • Survey Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area. • Map and monitor known stations on a regular basis.