WASHINGTON - Botanists cheered Monday as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took a wildflower found in Tennessee and Georgia off the federal Endangered Species List. <br>
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The large-flowered skullcap will now be listed as a threatened species, which is considered less serious than endangered but still calls for federal monitoring. <br>
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Scientists say they now know of more than 50,000 large-flowered skullcaps in the wild -- up from 6,700 when federal officials first placed the plant on the Endangered Species List in 1986. <br>
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The plant typically grows to be more than a foot tall and has showy pale blue, pink or lavender flowers that bloom in May or June. <br>
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It can be found in the Southeastern part of Tennessee, near Chattanooga, and around northwest Georgia. <br>
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The large-flowered skullcap likes dry, rocky, sloped areas and thrives under mature hardwoods -- such as oak and hickory trees. <br>
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Logging, development and sunlight-stealing plants are among the wildflower's biggest threats. <br>
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Scientists say they were able to reclassify the plant because of successful conservation efforts, and because scientists found previously unknown populations through increased survey work.
