Ponthieva brittoniae Ames:
United States (North America)
Caribbean (Caribbean)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Ponthieva racemosa var. brittoniae (Ames) Luer:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Fla.; West Indies (Bahamas).

Puerto Rico

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: The only known U.S. population is/was in in Dade County, Florida. Also reported from the Bahamas and Cuba.

Plants 30–50 cm. Roots unknown. Stems subterranean, short. Leaves withering at or during anthesis, 3–12; petiole 1–2.5 cm; blade elliptic to ovate, 4–10 × 1.5–3.5 cm, apex obtuse to acute. Inflorescences: peduncle 26–37 cm, partially enclosed by tubular sheaths, proximalmost larger but not leafy; rachis laxly 20–35-flowered, 10–18 cm; floral bracts lanceolate, clasping base of ovary, 5–10 mm, apex acuminate, pubescent. Flowers: sepals green, adaxially pubescent; dorsal sepal distinct, oblong-lanceolate, 4–5 × 2–3 mm, apex acute to obtuse; lateral sepals obliquely ovate-lanceolate, 4–5 × 2.5 mm, apex acute to obtuse; petals recurved, white, indistinctly clawed, obliquely triangular-ovate, 4–4.5 × 1.5 mm, margins entire, apex acute, pubescent; lip subsessile, white with 2 dark green blotches, obovate, 4.5 × 3.5 mm, apex short-caudate; column white, 2.5 mm; pedicellate ovary 7–9 mm. Capsules 8–13 mm.

Ponthieva racemosa (Walter) C. Mohr var. brittoniae (Ames) Luer

Open rocky pinelands; 0--20m.

Comments: Shallow swales and depressions in open pine rocklands; rarely in hammocks (Florida Natural Areas Inventory).

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 1 - 5

Comments: Status information in Cuba and Bahamas needed, but apparently rare everywhere; one occurrence known in Florida.

Flowering Dec--early Mar.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 2
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1

Puerto Rico

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N1 - Critically Imperiled

Rounded Global Status Rank: G3 - Vulnerable

Reasons: Habitat is threatened due to development. Only one record exists in the United States and is located in Everglades National Park, Florida (Florida Natural Areas Inventory). Range is restricted to Florida, Bahamas, and Cuba (Correll & Correll 1982); further information needed on status in Bahamas and in Cuba.

Biological Research Needs: Some field time at known site is required to determine the current status of this species.

Most of the original habitat of Ponthieva brittoniae has succumbed to urbanization. Only two locations are known to exist. One consisted of only a single specimen, and plants of the other have not reappeared since 1986 and may have been destroyed by roadwork (C. McCartney 1997).