Sagittaria secundifolia
Sagittaria secundifolia, also known as Kral's water plantain or Little River arrowhead is an endangered aquatic plant endemic to banks along the Little River of the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia.
Description
It is a perennial, aquatic plant with an underwater, thick horizontal root about long and thick. This particular species grows in the cracks in stream beds. Each leaf arches upward and is 5–10 cm long with a pointed tip.Distribution and habitat
S. secundifolia is found growing on or below the water, on rocky creek beds and nearby slopes.in the Little River drainage in DeKalb and Cherokee counties of Alabama and Chattooga County, Georgia, the Town Creek drainage in DeKalb County, and in the West Sipsey Fork in Winston County in Alabama. It is often found in association with azaleas, mountain laurel and holly.Conservation
Both threatened and endangered species and poached species are critical resources to several parks. The last known population of Sagittaria secundifolia is in the Little River system, and the endangered green pitcher plant ' and harperella ' are also found there. The Lookout Mountain population of the federally endangered mountain skullcap ' is listed as one of the last ten remaining populations. The Tennessee coneflower ' population at STRI is one of five remaining.Reasons to explain the endangered status of S. secundifolia include erosion-related water quality degradation, silting and turbidity, resulting from residential or recreational development, as well as surface mining, agriculture, and forest conversion. Another issue is water pollution from garbage dumping and leaking sewage systems. Water impoundments and offroad vehicle traffic also causes great harm to the species.