'Holy Grail' of Wisconsin plants found in state natural area
Green violet, a species last documented in Wisconsin in 1958, was found this spring on a State Natural Area in west central Wisconsin by DNR Conservation Biologist Ryan O’Connor. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
MADISON, Wis. - A Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conservation biologist has found the "holy grail" of a rare plant in the state.
A news release from the DNR says the plant is a green violet long thought gone from the state, but growing by the hundreds in a State Natural Area (SNA) in west-central Wisconsin.
The species (Hybanthus concolor) was last documented in Wisconsin in 1958 when it was collected from a site in Grant County. That site was severely impacted by grazing and the species was thought to no longer grow in the state.
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The DNR says this is not the first rare plant finding within Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas – 75% of wildlife species listed in Wisconsin as threatened or endangered, and 90% of state-listed plants are supported on State Natural Areas. These sites, owned both by the DNR and more than 50 partners, represent Wisconsin’s best native forests, wetlands, prairies and geological and archaeological sites. Their primary purpose is to maintain this natural heritage for future generations.
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