Article and photos by Roger L. Hammer
Dicerandra: A Very Special Genus The genus Dicerandra was described in 1830 by English private lands, powerline corridors, and roadsides in Marion botanist George Bentham (1800–1884) for the 2 hornlike and Sumter Counties. The attractive flowers are pinkish-coral spurs on the anthers that characterize the genus. But what’s or rose-purple in color with darker dots and white anthers. so special is that there are currently 10 members of this genus Florida balm (Dicerandra densiflora) is an annual that in Florida and 8 of them are known from Florida and nowhere is endemic to sandhills and sandy woodlands of Hamilton, else on Earth. Of those 8 Florida endemics, 6 are restricted Columbia, Suwannee, Lafayette, Taylor, Dixie, Gilchrist, Levy, to single counties each, and 1 Duval, Putnam, and Volusia other species is only known from Counties, making it the most 2 adjacent counties, with the final widespread endemic species in species being endemic to 8 Florida. It was first described in Florida counties. One other 1848 and, as its species name Dicerandra species is spread implies, the flowers are in dense across 11 northern Florida counwhorls around the stems. The ties into southern Georgia while flowers are pink with darker another species ranges across 5 spots and the anthers are white. counties in the Florida Panhandle Scrub balm (Dicerandra frutescens) is a federal- and into southern Alabama. Two annual species found state-listed endangered speoutside of Florida are Dicerandra cies that was first described in radfordiana, a rare, endangered 1962, and is only known from species endemic to Georgia with only yellow sand scrub and sandhills 2 small populations known to exist, on the southern portion of the and Dicerandra odoratissima, Lake Wales Ridge in Highlands endemic to eastern Georgia and County. The flowers of this South Carolina. perennial species are white with The genus is in the wellsmall, red dots and purple anknown mint family, Lamiaceae, thers. Much of its historic range and the leaves do, indeed, smell in Highlands County has been delightfully minty when crushed. eradicated by citrus groves and They are small, shrubby plants of urban sprawl. dry, sandy habitats such as scrub, Smoky balm (Dicerandra fumella) is an annual and was sandhills, and coastal swales. Lake Wales balm (Dicerandra described in 2010, making it Lake Wales balm (Dicerandra christmanii). christmanii) is a perennial the newest member of the species endemic to yellow sand genus. Its range extends across scrub of Polk County and was named to honor Florida botanist sandhills and pinelands in the western Panhandle, to include Steven P. Christman, who was the first to recognize it as an Washington, Holmes, Walton, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and undescribed species, and was described as such in 1989. The Escambia Counties, with small populations extending into flowers are white, speckled with red dots, and have yellow lower Alabama. anthers. It is a federal- and state-listed endangered species. Lakela’s balm (Dicerandra immaculata var. immaculata) Longspur balm (Dicerandra cornutissima) is a federalis a federal- and state-listed endangered perennial restricted and state-listed endangered species first described in 1981. to scrub habitat in Indian River and St. Lucie Counties and It is a perennial species endemic to sandhills and white sand is characterized by uniformly pinkish-purple flowers with scrub in Marion and Sumter Counties. Most of the protected purple anthers. It was first described in 1963 from plants population is found along the Harris Carr Cross Florida collected in Indian River County in 1962 by botanist Olga Greenway between Interstate 75 and State Road 200 in Lakela (1890–1980), who emigrated from Finland to the Marion County but there are small, scattered populations on United States in 1906. Lakela received her doctorate in botany 4 ● Palmetto
Volume 40:3 ● 2024
