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Apiaceae
Lileaopsis schaffneriana var. recurva is a herbaceous semi-aquatic perennial with slender erect leaves that grow from the nodes of creeping rhizomes. The rhizomes are very shallow, freely-branching, forming dense mats in the sand or mud streambed. The leaves are cylindrical, hollow, and vary in length from 3-5 cm up to 20 cm. Tiny 3-10 flowered umbels grow from the nodes along the rhizomes. The inflorescences are always shorter than the leaves. The flowers are 1-2 mm wide, greenish with a maroon tint, and the fruits are red, and 1-2 mm in diameter. Plants flower from March through October.
The habitat preferred by Lilaeopsis is in cienegas, or marshy wetlands at elevations ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 feet. It requires perennial water, gentle stream gradients, and mild winters. Associated vegetation includes willow, alder and cottonwood, cattails, rushes, sedges, grasses and watercress. It may be largely spread vegetatively, with small fragments drifting downstream and rooting, thus having little genetic diversity. Plants are vegetatively reduced during cooler months, resuming active growth in March. Lilaeopsis is one of the first established plants after spring floods 'scour out' a riparian system. If competition with other plants becomes excessive, crowding roots of Lilaeopsis and shading it, it declines.
The species has been lost from at least four historic sites in Arizona, which may be a result of the general loss and decline of cienega and stream habitats throughout Arizona. It has been proposed endangered since 1995. Threats to Lilaeopsis and its habitat include watershed degradation due to livestock grazing and development, diversion of water and drainage of habitats, and flash flooding. The species was listed as endangered in 1997 under the Endangered Species Act.
Currently, Lilaeopsis is held at the Desert Botanical Garden in the form of live plants. Although the plants are easily grown and propagated vegetatively, they seldom flower in conventional cultivation. There is a crucial need to establish a genetically representative seed bank of this plant, and to investigate seed storage and germination requirements.
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