Polygonum dentoceras

Polygonum dentoceras (synonymPolygonella myriophylla)^[1] is a rare species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names sandlace, woody wireweed, and Small's jointweed. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it is limited to the central ridges of the peninsula, including the Lake Wales Ridge. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

This plant is a mat-forming subshrub which spreads along the ground and grows up to 2 meters long. The sprawling branches have shreddy bark. The leaves are needle-like and under a centimeter long. The small inflorescence contains white, pink or yellow flowers each 1 or 2 millimeters long.^[2] The plant reproduces sexually via its seeds and vegetatively by cloning.^[3] It engages in allelopathy, the release of chemicals including gallic acid and hydroquinone, to prevent other plants from growing directly next to it.^[4]

The species was first described in 1924 by John Kunkel Small as Dentoceras myriophylla.^[5] It was later transferred to the genus Polygonella.^[1] In 2015, following a series of molecular phylogenetic studies, the genus Polygonella was subsumed into Polygonum.^[6][7] However, the name "Polygonum myriophylla" was unavailable, so the replacement namePolygonum dentoceras was published in 2011.^[6][8]

Visitors to the flowers include the bee Dialectus placidensis, the shore fly Allotrichoma abdominalis, and the hairstreak butterfly Hemiargus ceraunus.^[3]

Esta planta pertenece a la comunidad de plantas de matorral de Florida . Se encuentra en matorrales secos de arena blanca dominados por el romero de Florida, así como en matorrales de roble, bosques planos , bordes de carreteras y, ocasionalmente, dunas de arena . ^{[ 3 ]}

Las amenazas para esta especie incluyen la destrucción de su hábitat durante la conversión a propiedades residenciales y agrícolas, particularmente huertos de cítricos . ^{[ 9 ]} La supresión de incendios puede tener un efecto negativo en esta planta, porque está adaptada a un hábitat que depende de incendios forestales . ^{[ 3 ]}

Hasta 2010 se registraron 140 casos. Es difícil contar o estimar el número de individuos, ya que lo que parecen ser muchos individuos separados podrían ser clones de una misma planta. ^{[ 3 ]}