In North America, altering landscapes, loss of habitats, invasion and environmental changes have resulted in the loss of various indigenous plant species. Although animals are usually given more attention, plants extinction silently reforms the ecosystem, including insects, birds, and soil quality. Others disappeared before they could be sufficiently examined and others fell into decay as wetlands dried, forests were cut or development spread. The fact that there are extinct American plants demonstrates that fragile ecosystems are and the importance of conservation in the present day. The lost species can act as reminders that biodiversity is not a given.
St. Helena Olive (Associated North American Relative Losses)
Whereas the renowned St. Helena olive was of foreign descent, there were other relatives of the olive family in North America that went extinct following the clearance of the habitats. Such bushes were previously sustaining pollinators and birds.
F Alatamaha Franklinia
The Franklin tree is native to Georgia, and was lost in the wild in the early 1800s. Natural populations, where such are cultivated today, no longer exist. It probably became extinct because of disease, flooding or change in the environment.
Small-Leafed Violet (Viola cryana – U.S. Historical Loss)
This is a very sensitive violet which used to grow in some particular limestone regions. Its extinction demonstrates that even minor construction projects might destroy species that can be found nowhere.
Zizania Texana Decline Crisis Texas Wild Rice (Zizania texana)
Although this is not its complete extinction, it was on the border of disappearance. It is only found growing in a small system of rivers in Texas. It was almost destroyed by water pollution, growth and invasive species.
Appalachian Elm Relatives
In the Appalachian region, some of the localized varieties of elms died out because of the disease and clearance of forests. The related species were destroyed by Dutch elm disease and mature trees were cut due to logging. These elms used to stabilize the soils and give habitat.
Hampton Hampton (Critically Reduced)
This tree was common in some areas of Florida and Georgia but it dropped drastically because of fungus and loss of habitat. The wild populations are very small nowadays. It is technically surviving but it can be seen as species that almost went extinct.
Rocky Mountain Sledge Species
Some of the sledge plants that would have been found in high altitude wetlands vanished with the alterations in water systems and the growth of the grazers. Their habitat was completely cleared by the wetland drainage.
Cross Pacific Loss Parallels Hawaii and America
Although the territories of the U.S. were not on the mainland, numerous plant extinctions were caused by invasive species and land clearance. These are parallel cases of mainland risks. Small-range native flora are very delicate to disruption.
Eastern Prairie Clover They appear in several variants
Prairie clover species went extinct as lands were turned into farms. Prairie plants which were deep-rooted served pollinators and also enriched the soil. Farming activities cleared indigenous prairies and resulted in extinction foci.
Plants of Coastal Dunes, California
Plants that only thrived in the shifting coastal dunes died away as the development stabilized or eliminated dunes. These plants ended up adapting to flow sands and salty air. Habitats were destroyed under the influence of construction and tourism.
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