General Habitat: This is an aquatic plant limited to granite outcrop pools and thus has very restrictive conditions for survival. It is found only in the Piedmont.region. Seventy percent of the extant sites contain only one or two pools with this plant. At the remainder of the sites it has been observed in four to eight pools. Individual pools may contain few genetically variable individuals.
General Description: The species was originally described in 1978 from material collected at Heggie's Rock Preserve in Columbia County, Georgia from a single vernal (periodically wet and dry) pool. Only 10 additional populations, all in Georgia, have been located, and one has been destroyed. It is a spore-producing (no flowers) plant with narrow leaves that resemble short grass. The plant is separated from other quillwort species by technical characteristics that include complete velum coverage, dark tuberculate megaspores, and short, 0.8-1.8in (2-5cm) narrow, spiraled leaves that are arranged along a spreading rhizome (underground stem) unlike other quillworts which have short bulb-like rhizomes. Immature plants may more closely resemble other quillworts. The small roots arise along the rhizome and do not branch. This plant forms colonies. Ideal moisture and light conditions are required for successful spore germination and growth. The dormancy period for the spores is unknown. It is speculated that this plant produces asexually, a genetic factor which may threaten its ability to adapt.
