''Agalinis auriculata'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family (biology), family of mostly parasitic plants of the order (biology), order Lamiales, with about 90 genus, genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., ''Pedicularis'', ''Rhinanthus'', ...

known as earleaf false foxglove, auriculate false foxglove, and earleaf gerardia. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the United States, where it occurs from

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

west to

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and throughout most southern states.

Description and ecology

This plant is a hairy annual herb producing a stiff stem up to tall. The leaves are arranged oppositely on the stem, and the stems have retrorse-hispid hairs and auricled leaves. The purple, five-cleft flowers have two smaller upper lobes which are more united than the three lower ones. The flowers have purple-spotted throats and they bloom in July and September. Today this plant is considered to be vulnerable. Because of this research is being conducted by the Center of Biodiversity focusing on the genetic diversity and disturbances of the Agalinis auriculata to figure more about its distribution and habitats. The plant is

hemiparasitic A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...

, meaning it contains

chlorophyll Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...

to accomplish

photosynthesis Photosynthesis ( ) is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their metabo ...

, but is also parasitic on other plants to obtain some nutrients. In cultivation the plant was able to parasitize '' Helianthus occidentalis'' (western sunflower) and ''

Rudbeckia fulgida ''Rudbeckia fulgida'', the orange coneflower or perennial coneflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Asteraceae, native plant, native to eastern North America. Description It is an herbaceous plant, herbaceous ...

'' (showy black-eyed Susan) and it was observed to connect to a grass, possibly '' Poa compressa'' (Kentucky bluegrass), in the field.

Distribution and habitat

This plant has a wide geographical distribution and it was formerly more common than it is today. It appears to require soil disturbance for seed

germination Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, ...

. In the past, this disturbance may have been caused by herds of

bison A bison (: bison) is a large bovine in the genus ''Bison'' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox') within the tribe Bovini. Two extant taxon, extant and numerous extinction, extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American ...

. The plant can colonize mounds of earth that have been turned over by

pocket gophers Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database are all Endemism, endemic to North and Central America. ...

(''Geomys bursarius''). There are 40 to 50 known occurrences today, mostly comprising small populations. The largest populations are in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. It is an endangered species in Minnesota where historical records report that it was found growing in

wet meadow A wet meadow is a type of wetland with soils that are Solubility, saturated for part or all of the growing season which prevents the growth of trees and brush. Debate exists whether a wet meadow is a type of marsh or a completely separate type of ...

s in the lower

valley but much of its natural habitat has been destroyed especially around the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4691140 auriculata Endemic flora of the United States Plants described in 1803 Taxa named by André Michaux