Sabatia kennedyana Fernald. Common name: Plymouth Gentian. Phenology: Jun-Aug; Aug-Oct. Habitat: Seasonally exposed drawdown banks of the Waccamaw River, in adjacent ditches and disturbed flats (in se. NC and ne. SC), in cypress-gum swamps, very wet longleaf pine savannas, and very rarely on shores of beaver ponds (in e. VA, by introduction). Distribution: This species has a strange, disjunct range, likely related to Pleistocene refugia on the (now) Continental shelf, present in s. NS; e. MA and RI; se. NC and ne. SC. The record of the species in e. VA (Caroline County) reported by Fleming & Ludwig (1996) has now been determined to be a deliberate introduction.
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Taxonomy Comments: Suarez-Gonzalez et al. (2015) presented evidence about genetic differentiation in the disjunct populations of this species.
Synonymy ⓘ: = C, F, FNA14, GW2, K4, NE, Va, Wilbur (1955); = Sabatia dodecandra (L.) Britton, Sterns, & Poggenb. var. kennedyana (Fernald) H.E.Ahles — RAB. Basionym: Sabatia kennedyana Fernald 1916
Links to other floras: = Sabatia kennedyana - FNA14
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Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
- Northcentral & Northeast: OBL
Heliophily ⓘ: 9
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Horticultural Information
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bloom table text: The genus Sabatia contains about 20 species, many of which occur in wet Coastal habitats of North Carolina. The Plymouth Gentian is one of the most spectacular and is quite rare. In the Carolinas, this species occurs only in seasonally exposed drawdown banks of the Waccama River. Be sure to take a close look at these flowers which have 10-12 ray-like petals arranged in a whorl to display a pink blossom with a stunning yellow star-shaped design edged in red.
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native range: eastern Canada to MA, RI, VA, NC & SC
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