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Crotalaria avonensis (Fabaceae) K.R. Delaney and Wunderlin
Common Name: Avon Park harebells, tortoise bells, Avon Park rabbit bells

Distribution: Described by DeLaney and Wunderlin (1989), found at only three sites, and only in xeric white sand, in northern Highlands and southern Polk counties on the Lake Wales Ridge. Federally and state endangered.

Habitats: Occurs on white sands (Archbold and Satellite, Guala 1991) in Florida scrub dominated by Florida rosemary, oaks, and/or sand pine. In scrub, has higher occurrence in more open areas with bare sand. Also occurs in disturbed areas along roads and trails in white sand.

Life History: Perennial, clonal herb with a branching taproot. Stems shorter than 10 cm high. Fleshy leaves and large yellow flowers, Fruits are inflated pods with up to 18 seeds per pod. Probably resprouts after fire.

Phenology: Plants dieback during the winter. Stems emerge about February, flower during the spring, and fruit (an inflated pod) during late spring. Many more flowers than fruit are produced. Plants may persist with little change during the summer or branch and grow. In many years, plants are subject to high levels of herbivory throughout the year.

Breeding System and Pollination: Produces showy yellow flowers that are likely to be pollinated by insects, but this has not been studied.

Genetics: Not known.

Population Dynamics: Highly fluctuating ramet (stem) dynamics, with mapped stems showing herbivory, dieback, and resprouting during short periods of time. Spatial dynamics are difficult to determine given multiple small stems, but there is some general stability of large plant locations from year to year. Year-to-year plant densities fluctuate but often show no single temporal trend (Slapinsky and Gordon 2002). Most plants are vegetative in any given year (Slapinsky and Gordon 2002). Avon Park harebells does well in areas burned but exact response to fire has not been studied. Susan Wallace (Bok Tower Gardens, pers. comm. to Guala 1991) reports 35-40% seed germination and transplanted (into pots) seedling survival in the greenhouse .

Interesting Facts: This species was first collected in 1950 by Ray Garrett, a botanist from Avon Park. It was identified as C. maritima and not collected again until 1986. Kris Delaney, another botanist from Avon Park, described the species in 1989.

 Data Collected by Archbold Biological Station’s Plant Ecology Lab: Demographic data have been collected monthly during the spring (approximately February through June) since 1998. We work at a variety of sites (rosemary dominated scrub, oak dominated scrub, roadsides) in the Carter Creek scrub. The Nature Conservancy collects demographic data at Saddle Blanket Lakes Preserve (Slapinsky and Gordon 2002). In the spring of 2002, we collected data on microhabitats from occupied and unoccupied quadrats at Carter Creek and Avon Park Lakes.

Data Availability: Data are not yet available.

Contact Person: Eric S. Menges   

References:

1. Delaney, K.R. and R.P. Wunderlin. 1989. A new species of Crotalaria (Fabaceae) from the Florida central ridge. Sida 13:315-324.

2. Guala, G. 1991. Element Stewardship Abstract (ESA) for Crotalaria avonensis (tortoise bells). The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia.

3. Slapcinsky, J.L. and D. Gordon. 2002. Crotalaria avonensis Monitoring Report. The Nature Conservancy, Gainesville, Florida.

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