Macranthera

Macranthera is a monotypic plant genus in the family Orobanchaceae containing only the species Macranthera flammea, commonly known as the flameflower or hummingbird-flower.^[1][3] It is endemic to the Coastal Plain of the south-eastern United States.

Macranthera
Macranthera flammea photographed in Jackson County, Mississippi
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Genus:	Macranthera Nutt. ex Benth.
Species:	M. flammea
Binomial name
Macranthera flammea (W.Bartram) Pennell
Synonyms[2]
Gerardia flammea W.Bartram Conradia fuchsioides Nutt. Macranthera fuchsioides (Nutt.) Leconte & Benth. Macranthera lecontei Torr. Tomilix bracteata Raf. Toxopus calycinus Raf. Toxopus gymnanthes Raf. Dasistoma tubulosa Bertol. Macranthera fuchsioides var. lecontei (Torr.) Chapm.

Distribution and habitat

Largely restricted to the Gulf Coastal Plain of the south-eastern United States, Macranthera flammea is native to the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, ranging as far east as Bulloch County in eastern Georgia.^[1][3][4] It occurs in and around bogs, bayheads, creeks, ecotones, and seepage slopes from sea level up to 100 m (330 ft) above sea level.^[3][4]

Ecology

Macranthera flammea flowers from July to October,^[3] and has adapted to flower prolifically following fires. The flowering period coincides with the arrival of ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) in its range as part of their migration across the Gulf of Mexico.^[4]