Dicerandra Thinicola - Titusville Mint

Dicerandra thinicola Miller (common name, Titusville Mint or Titusville Balm) is an endangered, native plant species. Dicerandra thinicola is Brevard County’s only endemic plant species; this plant species is restricted to Brevard County and grows nowhere else on Earth. Dicerandra thinicola grows in remnant sandy scrub habitat, along the Atlantic Coastal ridge, in a narrow, approximately 13-‐mile range, between the Titusville wellfield III (between State Road 405 and State Road 50) to Mims, Florida.

Study

Suzanne Kennedy and Doctor Eric Menges (plant ecologists), collaboratively have been studying Dicerandra thinicola population demography, seed augmentations, and seed reintroductions in the Titusville wellfield III and the Dicerandra Scrub Sanctuary. Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL), managed since 2001 (15 years), and have a City of Titusville Permit for ongoing research before and following the proposed wellfield fire. Their research, data analyses, and observations demonstrate:

  • Dicerandra thinicola growing in areas that have not had a fire in decades suffer higher mortality
  • Dicerandra thinicola plants in open areas, such as those recently burned, appear to receive more visits from pollinators
  • Following the fire, Dicerandra thinicola has increased seedling recruitment (from its dormant seed buried in the soil)
  • In long, unburned areas, few Dicerandra thinicola seedlings are able to grow into flowering adults
  • Post­‐fire, Dicerandra thinicola plants grow faster, flower earlier, and produce more abundant flowers

These patterns are similar to other species in the genus Dicerandra, where land management fires have been shown to increase plant population health

Additional Information