Leedy's Roseroot

Sedum intergrifolium ssp. leedyi

Description

Leedy's roseroot possesses tall floral stems with leaves glaucous, oblong, and blue-green. The leaves average 1.2 in (30 mm) long with irregularly dentate to entire margins. The subspecies is dioecious and the flowers are small, arranged in corymobose cymes. Petals are dark red with varying shades of yellowish white at the base. Thick, scaly rhizome are conspicuous. This subspecies is more robust than most other Sedum species. The flower heads have been noted to have orange coloration.

Habitat

Leedy's roseroot grows in the crevices of rock cliffs where cold water drips into the soil. Soils are limestone with bands of bentonite. The subspecies sometimes occurs on shale cliffs. Individuals are limited to areas on the cliffs where ground water seeps through cracks in the rock. The local environment is cool and wet throughout the summer which is similar to the climate of the last ice age.

This subspecies' ranges overlap the Northeastern Forage and Forest Region. This cold, humid region consists of plateaus, plains, and mountains. The average annual precipitation ranges from 29.5-52.2 in (75-132.5 cm). In most of the region more than one-half of the precipitation falls during the freeze-free season. The average annual temperature is 37.4-51.8°F (3-11°C).

Most of the land in this region, especially the steeper areas, is forested. Significant amounts of lumber and pulpwood are produced. Locally, Christmas trees and maple syrup are important forest products. Forage and grains for dairy cattle are the principal crops. In places where markets, climate, and soils are favorable, fruits, tobacco, potatoes, and vegetables are important crops. Wildlife habitat and recreation are important land uses.

Distribution

In the past, the subspecies is thought to have been distributed throughout North America. Although Leedy's roseroot is rare, it has survived since the ice age, adapted to current conditions, and does not appear to have difficulty surviving. Current habitat loss and degradation is threatening this robust sub-species.

Presently, the subspecies occurs at only six sites, five of which are viable. Four occur in Fillmore County, Minnesota, and two occur near Seneca Lake in New York. In New York, the largest population occurs on privately owned land. A 1-acre (0.4 hectare) parcel of land containing the subspecies along 289 ft (88.1 m) of Seneca Lake is legally protected by the Finger Lakes Land Trust with a conservation easement through the Nature Conservancy. In Minnesota, three sites are privately owned and occur in agricultural areas. The fourth site is state-owned and protected by the state of Minnesota.

Threats

Leedy's roseroot is threatened due to development, ground water contamination, erosion, and grazing. In Minnesota, ground water contamination occurs through filling or dumping in sink holes adjacent to cliffs where the subspecies occurs. Sink holes provide direct access to the ground water and are the main source of seepage on the cliffs.

In New York, many sites are threatened by residential development. Uplands adjacent to the cliff are wooded and homes are being built away from the cliff edge. Yet, many homeowners have built stairs down to the lake shore and have cleared vegetation from the cliff to enhance their view of the lake. In some areas, trees have been cut and dumped over the cliff edge where the subspecies grows.

In both states, the use of agricultural pesticides in farmland upland and adjacent to cliffs affect underground water quality. Erosion of the cliffs is another threat. Slopes are unstable. Rock slides often result in the loss of individual plants. In 1990, runoff from heavy rains dislodged many plants. At one site in Minnesota, grazing threatens the sub-species.

Conservation and Recovery

Protection through perpetual conservation easements will be enhanced by compensation or tax relief. Because much of the shoreline at the Glenora Cliff site is residential, acquisition and/or easements will probably cost several thousand dollars per 98.4 ft (30 m) of shoreline. If the proximity of protected land is considered an amenity, tax rates on protected properties and adjoining properties might rise and make enrollment in easements too costly unless landowners are provided tax relief. Neither Minnesota nor New York has a mechanism which provides permanent funding for easements on protected species' habitat. The Federal government or state legislatures may act to establish such funding, or one or more permanent private conservation trusts may be endowed for this purpose.

Educational materials should be developed and opportunities to acquaint landowners and other members of the public with the taxon and its need for protection. A program of individual landowner contact and public education in the first year of recovery should be initiated, especially in New York, where such efforts can pave the way for conservation actions. Because the majority of populations occur on private lands, such efforts in New York may be most effective when they can involve landowners as educators or guides.

The cool microclimates in which Leedy's roseroot occurs may be affected by global warming or other unforeseen circumstances. Seeds and/or cuttings should be contributed to a genetic bank for preservation and possible reintroduction if needed in the future. Plants collected in Minnesota have been brought into cultivation at a Center for Plant Conservation garden.

Contacts

Regional Office of Endangered Species
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Federal Building
Fort Snelling
Twin Cities, Minnesota 55111
http://midwest.fws.gov/

Regional Office of Endangered Species
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, Massachusetts 01035
http://northeast.fws.gov/

Long Island Ecological Services Field Office
P. O. Box 680
Islip, New York 11751-0608
Telephone: (516) 581-2941
Fax: (516) 581-2972

References

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 22 April 1992. "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Determination of Threatened Status for Sedum integrifolium ssp. leedyi (Leedy's roseroot)." Federal Register 57(78): 14649-14653.