Asimina longifolia

{{Speciesbox

| image = Asimina longifolia.jpg

|status=G4

|status_system=TNC

|status_ref={{cite web|url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.138920/Asimina_longifolia|title=Asimina longifolia|website=NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer|author=NatureServe|publisher=NatureServe|access-date=15 June 2024|location=Arlington, Virginia|date=31 May 2024}}

| genus = Asimina

| species = longifolia

| authority = Kral

| synonyms = *Asimina angustifolia {{au|A.Gray}}

Pityothamnus angustifolius {{au|(A. Gray) Small}}

| synonyms_ref = {{cite web |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500175 |title=Asimina longifolia |website=Flora of North America |publisher=efloras.org |access-date=15 June 2024}}

}}

Asimina longifolia, the slim-leaf pawpaw or polecat-bush, is a shrub in the custard apple family. It is native to the Southeastern United States where it is found on the coastal plain.

There are two named varieties:

A. longifolia var. longifolia - Only found in Florida and Georgia.
A. longifolia var. spatulata - Found from southern Alabama to southern South Carolina.

It is unclear if the two varieties should be considered distinct species. This group is in need of further taxonomic study.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Description

It is a small bush 2 to 3 feet in height. Prominent features include long narrow leaves, 4 by {{frac|1|4}} inches, and white flowers.{{cite book |last=Rafinesque |first=C. S. (Constantine Samuel) |date=1840 |title=Autikon botanikon |language=en, la |location=Philadelphia |page=77 |doi=10.5962/bhl.title.232 }}{{cite journal |last=Gray |first=Asa |date=1886 |title=The Genus Asimina |journal=Botanical Gazette |volume=11 |issue=7 |pages=161–163 |doi=10.1086/325964|s2cid=84972335 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/221576 }} Its pollen is shed in permanent tetrads.{{cite journal |last1=Bailey |first1=I.W. |last2=Nast |first2=Charlotte G. |date=1943 |title=The Comparative Morphology of the Winteraceae I. Pollen and Stamens |journal=Journal of the Arnold Arboretum|volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=340–346|doi=10.5962/p.185481 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/185481 |doi-access=free }}

Ecology

= Habitat =

A. lognifolia's preferred habitat is dry pinelands or dry maritime forests.{{cite web|url=https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/main.php?pg=show-taxon.php&family=&plantname=Slimleaf+pawpaw&habitat=|title=2 results for Slimleaf pawpaw|last1=Weakley|first1=A.S.|author2=Southeastern Flora Team|website=Flora of the southeastern United States Web App|publisher=University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden|location=Chapel Hill|access-date=15 June 2024|year=2024}} It has been observed to grow in association with Florida phlox, queen's delight, laurel oak, and coastal blackroot, among others.Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: L. C. Anderson, R. K. Godfrey, R. Komarek, A. Schmidt, and Robert S. Blaisdell. States and Counties: Florida: Gadsden, Lafayette, Leon, and Wakulla. Georgia: Baker and Thomas.

= Phenology =

This species has been observed to flower from spring into the summer.{{Cite book |last=Wunderlin |first=Richard P. |title=Guide to the vascular plants of Florida |last2=Hansen |first2=Bruce F. |date=2011 |publisher=University Press of Florida |isbn=978-0-8130-3543-7 |edition=3rd |location=Gainesville, FL}}

= Fire Ecology =

A. longifolia has been observed in areas both fire excluded and burned.

References

longifolia

Category:Flora of the Southeastern United States

Category:Endemic flora of the United States