Rugelia Explained

Rugelia nudicaulis (Rugel's Indian plantain or Rugels ragwort), the sole species of the genus Rugelia, blooms in summer. It is a wildflower endemic to higher elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains.^[1] It is a rare species in Tennessee.^[2] First placed in the genus Senecio, then moved to Cacalia it was finally placed in a genus of its own, Rugelia. Genetic diversity in this plant, assessed using allozymes, is so low that the species may not survive changing environmental conditions.^[3]

References

• Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians, Lone Pine Publishing, (2005) p 372,

Notes and References

1. http://tenn.bio.utk.edu/vascular/database/vascular-browse-common-results.asp?CommonNameID=Rugel's%20ragwort- University of Tennessee Herbarium
2. https://tn.gov/assets/entities/environment/attachments/2014TennesseeRarePlantListu.pdf Tennessee state list
3. https://archive.today/20130415203351/http://jhered.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/3/194 Journal of Heredity article