''Isoetes melanospora'', commonly known as black-spored quillwort or black-spored Merlin's grass, is a rare and endangered aquatic

lycophyte The lycophytes, when broadly circumscribed, are a group of vascular plants that include the clubmosses. They are sometimes placed in a division Lycopodiophyta or Lycophyta or in a subdivision Lycopodiophytina. They are one of the oldest lineag ...

endemic to the

U.S. states In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Habitat

It grows exclusively in shallow, temporary pools on granite outcrops, often with only 2 cm of soil. 11 populations are known to exist in Georgia, while only one has been recorded in South Carolina, though this population is believed to be

extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...

. The number of sites has dropped from 18 following its discovery due to

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

caused by quarrying, trash dumping and trampling. New leaves quickly sprout after fall and winter rains, but during the dry summer months these typically shrivel. The black-spored quillwort, a federally listed

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, is sometimes found growing with pool sprite (''Amphianthus pusillus''), another imperiled plant species. Both are protected at

Stone Mountain Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome Inselberg, monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state of Ge ...

in Georgia.USFWS
Granite Outcrop Plants Five-year Review.
September 2008.

Description

''Isoetes melanospora'' is a small plant growing in mud or shallow water but becoming terrestrial as the ground dries. Rootstock is nearly spherical. Leaves are up to 7 cm (2.8 inches) long, spirally arranged, tapering to the tip.

Megaspores Megaspores, also called macrospores, are a type of spore that is present in heterosporous plants. These plants have two spore types, megaspores and microspores. Generally speaking, the megaspore, or large spore, germinates into a female gametophy ...

are gray or black, 350-480 μm in diameter.

Microspores Microspores are land plant spores that develop into male gametophytes, whereas megaspores develop into female gametophytes. The male gametophyte gives rise to sperm cells, which are used for fertilization of an egg cell to form a zygote. Megaspo ...

appear brown, each 26-31 μm across.Flora of North America, ''Isoëtes melanospora'' Engelmann, 1877. Black-spored quillwort
/ref>

References

External links

Profile at USDA PLANTS Database
*
Illustration from Flora of North America

melanospora ''Melanospora'' is a genus of fungi within the Ceratostomataceae family. Sakayaroj et al. (2005) recognised a distinct lineage of marine Ascomycota within the class Sordariomycetes, that was then named TBM (''Torpedospora''/'' Bertia''/''Melanos ...

Flora of the Southeastern United States Critically endangered flora of the United States Plants described in 1877 {{Lycophyte-stub