Status of Listed Species and Recovery Plan Development
Schweinitz's Sunflower
Helianthus schweinitzii -- Endangered
South Carolina
Current Status:
Only 10 populations of Schweinitz's sunflower remain in South Carolina. Threats to the species include destruction or degradation of its habitat due to residential and industrial development, mining, encroachment by exotic vegetation, highway construction and improvement, roadside and utility right-of-way maintenance, and loss of natural disturbance from fire and native herbivores. Approximately two-thirds of the remaining populations are on roadside or utility line rights-of-way, where they are vulnerable to accidental destruction.
Achievements:
A Winthrop College (Rock Hill, South Carolina) researcher is collecting and propagating seed for potential reintroduction or population augmentation. A management agreement has been negotiated with Duke Power Company to mow powerlines where Schweinitz's sunflower occurs only after frost and to use no herbicides at these sites. Another informal agreement has been negotiated between the Fish and Wildlife Service and a county park in Rock Hill, South Carolina, for protection of the plants.
Current Recovery Needs:
Necessary recovery actions include continued use of growing season burns to stimulate growth and reproduction, continued seed collection and reintroduction of propagules, and continued monitoring of all populations.
Section 6 Funding and Activities:
In FY 1992, the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department received $3,000 for monitoring and managing populations of Schweinitz's sunflower.
Partnerships
South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Heritage Trust Program: The Department, in cooperation with the Service and Winthrop College researchers, has carried out annual population monitoring and provided technical assistance on management of the species.Winthrop College: A botanist with the college, in cooperation with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, is monitoring sites, negotiating with landowners and right-of-way managers for the species' protection, and propagating plants for reintroduction/augmentation.
Duke Power Company and Carolina Power and Light Company: These utility companies are working with conservation agencies to protect populations located on their rights-of-way.
Recovery Plan Status:
Technical draft plan.
