Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Cylindrical Rattlesnake-root - Nabalus cylindricus   Small
Members of Asteraceae:
Members of Nabalus with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Family Asteraceae
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AuthorSmall
DistributionKnown so far only from Ashe and Mitchell counties, but this gap is expected to disappear with more collecting -- especially as few biologists are aware of this "new" species (a split of N. roanensis).

Endemic to southwestern VA, northwestern NC, and northeastern TN.
AbundanceNo data. This species is not included in the NCNHP database, nor it is named by NatureServe; thus, the website editors have little information on its abundance, other than collections from two counties. Presumably it is scarce, and the editors suggest a State Rank of S1? and a status of Watch List, though it perhaps is truly rare and could be listed as Significantly Rare. Weakley's (2020) map does show it as "rare" in the NC Mountains.
HabitatMontane forests, woodlands, and grassy balds at middle to high elevations.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting August-October.
IdentificationLike N. roanensis, this species has narrow, cylindrical inflorescences. It differs in its glabrate stems (vs. pubescent in N. roanensis) and leaves at least 3-5 lobed (vs. merely hastate or arrowhead shaped). This leaf shape difference should be obvious from the other species, though Weakley (2020) notes that the common N. altissimus also has lobed leaves; however, that species and other montane ones (except N. roanensis) have clearly branched inflorescences.
Taxonomic CommentsThis species was split from N. roanensis in 1984. Nonetheless, few references seem to include it in their floras, and certainly more information on distribution and abundance within its small range is greatly needed.

Other Common Name(s)Appalachian Rattlesnake-root
State Rank[S1?]
Global RankGNR
State Status[W7]
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