Cumberland Sandwort

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Cumberland Sandwort

Arenaria cumberlandensis

Status	Endangered
Listed	June 23, 1988
Family	Caryophyllaceae (Pink)
Description	Clump-forming perennial with long, narrow leaves and inconspicuous white flowers.
Habitat	Shady, moist, shallow caves.
Threats	Restricted distribution, timbering, hikers.
Range	Kentucky, Tennessee

Description

Cumberland sandwort, Arenaria cumberlandensis, is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial member of the Pink family that reaches a height of about 6 in (15 cm). Long, narrow leaves form a rosette at the base. Tiny inconspicuous, white flowers appear in late June and early July.

Habitat

Cumberland sandwort is restricted to deep rocky gorges that maintain a micro-environment of constant shade, high moisture, and cool temperatures. It is found growing in loose sand on the floors of rockhouses (shallow caves), beneath overhanging ledges, or in sand-filled pockets in the sandstone cliffs.

Distribution

This species is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau in north-central Tennessee and adjacent Kentucky.

According to the June 1996 Recovery Plan for this species, there are 28 extant occurrences of the species, 27 in Tennessee and one in Kentucky. One additional Kentucky occurrence is presumed extirpated. Of those in Tennessee, 20 are within two miles of each other. All the sites occur within 25 miles of each other.

At the time the species was listed in 1988, there were about 12 known occurrences at five sites in Tennessee and Kentucky. When federally listed in 1988, populations were found in four Tennessee counties: Pickett, Scott, Fentress, and Morgan. The largest known population was in Pickett State Park and Forest (Pickett County), managed by the Tennessee Department of Conservation.

A few plants survive within the watershed of a municipal water reservoir in Fentress County, and a second remnant population is split between both banks of the Clear Fork River, which forms the boundary between Fentress and Morgan counties. The Fentress County portion is part of the Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area, managed by the Forest Service.

Threats

Because of its very specific habitat requirements, Cumberland sandwort was probably never very abundant. Recreational visitors to the parks and to the national forest have trampled plants while hiking and rock climbing or uprooted them while digging in rockhouses for Native American artifacts. Timber cutting in the area alters the delicate balance of shade and moisture required by the plant.

Conservation and Recovery

Since this plant's listing, the Forest Service has reviewed its timber management policies in national forests to identify and mitigate causes of damage to the Cumberland sandwort. The 1996 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan for this species includes such major objectives as monitoring and protection of habitat; searches for new populations; and the implementation of appropriate management actions. Additional actions will include long-term seed storage and maintenance of living plants and studies of the species' biology, enforcement of existing laws, and a public education/information program.

Conservation methods currently in place include all or partial public ownership of 27 of the known occurrences of the species. Of these 27 sites, six occur in Pickett State Park and 15 occur in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

Searches for the species were conducted in Kentucky in 1991, 1994, and 1995; all three searches focused on McCreary County. A floristic inventory of Pickett State Park was near completion in 1996 when the Recovery Plan was published. Some measures to protect vulnerable sites within Pickett State Park have been taken—including the installation of a boardwalk and guardrails at Hazard Cave, a popular destination within the park, to keep visitors from trampling or exploring the sandwort's habitat.