Endangered mint plant, found only on Treasure Coast, could be extinct without your help

Catie Wegman | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Show Caption Hide Caption Homegrown: Lakela's mint found only on the Treasure Coast Lakela’s mint, first identified in the early 1960s, grows in exactly one spot on Planet Earth: a narrow, three 3-mile stretch of Indian River and St. Lucie counties.

Lakela's mint can be found only in one place on Earth: A 3-mile stretch of dune in southern Indian River and northern St. Lucie counties.

But maybe not for long: The plant could be extinct in less than a generation.

Loss of habitat from development and invasive species are the main threats to the Lakela's mint population, which was discovered in the early 1960s. It didn't take long for the species to become federally endangered, officially making the list in 1985.

And it's stayed there ever since.

“It’s important for local people to be stewards for this species that can be nowhere else in the world and is growing right here in their backyard," said Cheryl Peterson, conservation program manager at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.

Stewardship for Lakela's mint is especially important, Peterson said, because the plant, which is endemic to only that small sliver of the Treasure Coast, could disappear in 10 to 15 years.

“Humanity relies on biodiversity; and we’re losing it at a very, very fast rate. We don’t know the impact that it will have."

So, Peterson is asking the community for help.

Bok Towers Gardens and St. Lucie County’s Environmental Resources Department have partnered to host monthly volunteer restoration events to save Lakela's mint from December to April at the Harbor Branch Preserve, adjacent to the Ocean Discovery Center at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.

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Invasive species deadly to the Lakela's mint — such as love vines, Brazilian pepper trees and cogon grass — used to be removed with prescribed burns, but development made it nearly impossible to clear areas close to residences and busy roads, Peterson said.

The only protective measure that can be taken now is to remove the invasive species by hand.

"This is what is going to need to be done,” she said. “Without being able to burn these sites, it's really going to take volunteers coming out and maintaining the area by hand.”

More: Homegrown: This plant grows only here — and it's dying out

Lakela's mint plants will begin dropping their seeds at the end of December or early January, Peterson said. Winter rainfall causes germination; but the plant sees high mortality rates in March, April and May.

If invasive species kill them before heavy, summer rainfall allows the plants to really take off, then no one would get to see them flower in October.

There had been sites where invasive species overran the area and no Lakela's mint survived, she said. Although it's hard to quantify exact numbers, the plant has been able to begin growing again after the volunteer restoration efforts began about two years ago.

"They belong to all of humanity, not just us here right now,” Peterson said. “What if all the lions and tigers disappeared, would it matter? No. But it’s still not right.”

How to help

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to noon

Dates:

Saturday, Dec. 14

Friday, Jan. 10

Saturday, Feb. 8

Friday, March 13

Saturday, April 11

Where: Harbor Branch Preserve, 5600 U.S. 1 in northern Fort Pierce

To volunteer: Call St. Lucie County Environmental Resources, 772-462-2528, or email thompsonam@stlucieco.org

Note: Space is limited to 30 volunteers per day, sign-up early to reserve a spot

Catie Wegman is a TCPalm community reporter. Have a question you want answered? She can be reached by email at catie.wegman@tcpalm.com, or you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @Catie_Wegman and Facebook @catiewegman1.