Pyne's Ground Plum (Astragalus bibullatus)

OK, normally I post picture of wildflowers that are blooming in Middle Tennessee and any one may see one of these flowers. Well today is different. Today I am posting the rarest of the rare. It is only found on one continent, one country, one state, one county and only two locations known to exist. I have only photographed this flower two times. Once in the spring when it was blooming and once in the fall when the seed pods (plums) were visible. The flower was not completely blooming, but I didn't want to go back and disturb the spot. Even though I know where this beautiful flower is, I probably will never go back to take another picture. I would hate to disturb this flower and cause anything bad to happen. I was also very lucky to get to go on a wildflower hike in Cedars of Lebanon Forrest with the Murfreesboro Professor who discovered this plant.  So here it is...

Astragalus bibullatus

Pyne's ground-plum is a beautiful legume that is endemic to the Central Basin of Tennessee. First described in 1987, the plant is found only in a cedar glade habitat (Barneby and Bridges 1987). The ground-plum gets its name from the fruits produced in late May to early June. While the lavender flowers are borne on upright stalks, as the fruits develop the stalks bend back towards the ground. The fruits turn a reddish orange color and appear larger than one would expect, given the overall size of the plant. 

Pyne's ground-plum is endemic to the cedar glades of middle Tennessee. All sites are associated with thin-bedded, fossiliferous Lebanon limestone outcroppings that support the unique cedar glade communities found in Tennessee's central basin (USFWS 1991).

Common associates include Juniperus virginiana, Pediomelum subacaule, Hypericum sphaerocarpum, Manfreda virginica, Glandularia canadensis, and Onosmodium molle (USFWS 1991).