Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, September 26, 2014
(POSEY CO.) - A rare plant only known to exist in Indiana on a roadside in Posey County has been listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Short's Bladderpod, a member of the mustard family, was already on Indiana's endangered plant list and now will be protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
According to state botanist Mike Homoya, the existence of Short's Bladderpod in southwest Indiana is a mystery to scientists. The nearest populations of the plant are more than 200 miles away in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky and around Nashville, Tenn., where it grows on exposed limestone bedrock along streams.
"But the population in Posey County doesn't fit that pattern," Homoya said. "It's just growing on clay."
Short's Bladderpod was first found in Posey County in 1941 by Charles Deam, Indiana's first state forester.
The Posey County population is growing along a gravel road on land managed by the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife.
The DNR encourages growth of Short's Bladderpod by clearing away other vegetation in the area and raking the ground, allowing seeds that are in the ground to germinate and grow.
"The population has fluctuated from thousands of plants to a handful," Homoya said. "It depends on whether the other vegetation is cleared off."
Short's Bladderpod is the third plant in Indiana to be listed as federally endangered. The others are Short's goldenrod and running buffalo clover.
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