Harperella is a rare and endangered wildflower that is found in only 10 sites in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. It was named after Dr. Ronald Harper, who discovered it in 1902. Because Harperella's life cycle depends on water levels fluctuating at certain times in the growth cycle, it can easily be destroyed by minor disturbances. The greatest threats to its survival are polluting and loss of habitat, silting of water from construction and mining activities, and excessive nutrients entering the streams where it is found.

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