page_title: Minuartia cumberlandensis
hierarchical_section_title: Minuartia cumberlandensis
caption_attribution_description: English: The entrance to Hazard Cave at Pickett State Park in Pickett County, Tennessee, USA. The fence railing is in place to protect the fragile Cumberland sandwort (Arenaria cumberlandensis) populations, which are endemic to the rockhouses of the Cumberland Plateau.
context_page_description: Minuartia cumberlandensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Cumberland stitchwort and Cumberland sandwort. It is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau near the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River in Tennessee and Kentucky. This rare plant is found only in cool sandstone rock shelters, on the moist sandy cave floors behind the drip line. There are 27 occurrences in Tennessee and one in Kentucky. The plant is a federally listed endangered species.
  This is a petite perennial herb forming tufts of stems from threadlike taproots. The green stems reach 15 to 20 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves have shiny green linear or lance-shaped blades up to 3 or 4 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or a cluster of up to three flowers. Each has white petals no more than 6 millimeters long. Flowers bloom in the summer.
  Threats to this species include damage to its habitat, which may occur during recreational use such as camping and rappelling, or during logging. The rock shelter habitat of the plant is cool, humid, and dark; removal of surrounding trees lets light in and makes it warmer and drier.
context_section_description: Minuartia cumberlandensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Cumberland stitchwort and Cumberland sandwort. It is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau near the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River in Tennessee and Kentucky. This rare plant is found only in cool sandstone rock shelters, on the moist sandy cave floors behind the drip line. There are 27 occurrences in Tennessee and one in Kentucky. The plant is a federally listed endangered species.
  This is a petite perennial herb forming tufts of stems from threadlike taproots. The green stems reach 15 to 20 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves have shiny green linear or lance-shaped blades up to 3 or 4 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or a cluster of up to three flowers. Each has white petals no more than 6 millimeters long. Flowers bloom in the summer.
  Threats to this species include damage to its habitat, which may occur during recreational use such as camping and rappelling, or during logging. The rock shelter habitat of the plant is cool, humid, and dark; removal of surrounding trees lets light in and makes it warmer and drier.
  The plant was first described to science in 1979 when specimens once thought to be Minuartia groenlandica did not fit its description, or that of any known species.
caption: A fence installed at Pickett State Park to protect the stitchwort
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon PowerShot SX20 IS", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "180", "Image YResolution": "180", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "iPhoto 9.5.1", "Image DateTime": "2010:03:06 11:52:28", "Image ExifOffset": "246", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/40", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "160", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2010:03:06 11:52:28", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2010:03:06 11:52:28", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "3", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "85/16", "EXIF ApertureValue": "95/32", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "95/32", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4000", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3000", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1000000/61", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1000000/61", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}