''Jacquemontia reclinata'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the morning glory family known by the common names beach clustervine, reclined clustervine, and beach jacquemontia. 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 southeastern coast of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, mainly within the

South Florida metropolitan area The Miami metropolitan area is a coastal metropolitan area in southeastern Florida. It is the sixth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the la ...

, in the United States, where little of its native habitat remains.USFWS
Determination of endangered status for a Florida plant, ''Jacquemontia reclinata''.
''Federal Register'' November 24, 1993. It is 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 ...

. This is a creeping vine that has a woody base and stems that grow up to a meter long.''J. reclinata''.
The Nature Conservancy. The stems may climb on other plants. The vine produces fleshy leaves up to 3 centimeters long and star-shaped white flowers.''J. reclinata''.
Center for Plant Conservation. The plant grows on

barrier island Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...

s, where it can be found in several types of habitat, such as

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

and

tropical hardwood hammock Tropical hardwood hammocks are closed canopy forests, dominated by a diverse assemblage of evergreen and semi-deciduous tree and shrub species, mostly of West Indian origin. Tropical hardwood hammocks are found in South Florida or the Everglades ...

s. It grows in sunny open and disturbed areas, bare patches historically created by

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

s and today sometimes created by human activity. Other plants growing in this type of habitat include seagrape (''Coccoloba uvifera'') and

Madagascar periwinkle ''Catharanthus roseus'', commonly known as bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, rose periwinkle, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native and en ...

(''Catharanthus roseus''). In 2001 there were ten known populations of this plant for a total of about 733 individuals. In 2007 it was estimated that the total population had decreased 13% since the year 2000.USFWS
''J. reclinata'' Five-year Review.
May 2007. The species is present in Broward, Palm Beach, and Dade Counties. It was known from Martin County but it is thought 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 ...

there. The coastal strips of these counties are heavily populated and constantly expanding, leading to the consumption of natural habitat for residential, commercial, and other uses. Remaining occurrences of the plant are on land that is fragmented and degraded. It is

invaded An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives of co ...

by introduced plant species such as

Brazilian pepper ''Schinus terebinthifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to subtropical and tropical South America. Common names include Brazilian peppertree, aroeira, rose pepper, broadleaved pepper tree, ...

(''Schinus terebinthifolius''). Recreation and

beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward r ...

threaten the plant.

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6120281 Convolvulaceae Plants described in 1905 Endemic flora of Florida