Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for White-nymph - Trepocarpus aethusae   Nutt. ex DC.
Members of Apiaceae:
Only member of Trepocarpus in NC.
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Section 6 » Family Apiaceae
AuthorNutt. ex DC.
DistributionDiscovered by Milo Pyne on 31 July 2020 from Durham County (photo confirmed by experts); specimen (NCU) placed onto the SERNEC database in spring 2021.

This species is found mainly in the south-central states, ranging eastward to central TN and central SC. The SC occurrences are thought to be natural (fide K. Bradley 2020); and for now the editors are treating the NC record as a natural location, as the habitat is appropriate for the species in its main range.
AbundanceVery rare in NC; disjunct from central SC. The NCNHP added this species to its Watch List in 2021.
HabitatTriassic Basin swamp forest in NC. Elsewhere, typically found in swamp forest openings, along river margins, and in other alluvial habitats, including sand and gravel bars.
See also Habitat Account for Rich Wet Hardwood Forests
PhenologyImmature fruits on 31 July. Normally flowers and fruits May-June (RAB 1968) -- for SC sites.
IdentificationTrepocarpus has only one species, and the leaves and fruits do not look quite like any other members of the umbel family in NC. The plants grow 1-2 feet tall, glabrous, with alternate, pale green leaves. The leaves are pinnately dissected into a fernlike aspect, the ultimate segments linear and short-tapered to a point. Compound umbels are composed of 2-4 umbels, all on long stalks from upper leaf axils. Each umbel has 2-8 white flowers about 2 mm across. The fruits are cylindrical, 8-10 mm long, strongly ribbed lengthwise, brownish with a green tip.
Taxonomic CommentsA monotypic genus endemic to the U.S.

Other Common Name(s)None
State RankS1
Global RankG4G5
State StatusW7
US Status
USACE-agcp
USACE-emp
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Milo PyneDurham County; 31 July 2020 DurhamPhoto_natural

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