Features: Gattinger's Agalinis (Agalinis gattingeri) is a member of the Figwort Family and grows in dry prairie and dry, open oak savanna habitats. Also called the Round-stemmed Purple False Foxglove, this branching, slender plant produces showy, pink or rose-purple bell-shaped flowers in late summer. Yellow lines and red spots on the inside of the flower's "throat" may serve as nectar guides for visiting insect pollinators. Gattinger's Agalinis is a "hemiparasite" and is able to obtain nutrients from tree roots via fungal filaments called hyphae that are attached to the roots of both the Agalinis and its host plant. It is an annual, and produces seeds in order to persist in an area, as its root system does not survive the winter. Gattinger's Agalinis can be distinguished from its closest relative, Agalinis skinneriana, only by experts on the basis of specific features of the flowers, leaves and stems.

Status: Endangered Provincially and Nationally

Range: Gattinger's Agalinis occurs in the central United States from Wisconsin, south to Louisiana and west to Nebraska. In Canada, it occurs on two of the delta islands of Lake St. Clair, on Manitoulin Island, and at two sites on the Bruce peninsula. Range Maps

Threats: The conversion of prairie and oak savanna habitats to farmland may have caused declines in the distribution and abundance of this species in Ontario. The remaining populations are small and restricted, and they are threatened by road building, construction and agricultural expansion. Recent surveys on Walpole Island show that declines continue there.

Protection: Under Ontario's new Endangered Species Act, 2007, Gattinger's Agalinis is protected from any actions that may harm the species. All Ontario populations are on private land. Possibly because of the special manner in which it obtains nutrients, this plant has not been propagated by growers. Therefore, it is not possible to plant new stock in protected areas.

Text Sources: Canne-Hilliker1988a; Canne-Hilliker 1998

Last Modified Date: October 2008