Abstract:
Shortia is one of North Carolina's and the world's rarest plants. Few people have ever heard of it; fewer still have seen it. In the state the flower is found only in a few places in Burke, Macon, McDowell, and Transylvania Counties. Dean discusses the plant's history from its discovery by French botanist Andre Michaux on September 8, 1788, its rediscovery in 1877, and its current status.