View original imageThis is an original generative reconstruction, not a photograph or scientific plate.
157 / Recently extinct
Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea
Orbexilum stipulatum
Purple pea flowers grew on one limestone river island, with the final herbarium collection made in 1881.
Structured expansion · editorial review pending
- Time range
- Prehistory–1881
- Final stage
- 19th century
- Geographic range
- Limestone island at the Falls of the Ohio · Kentucky, United States
01 / ANSWER FIRST
What was Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea?
This archive records Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea under the scientific name Orbexilum stipulatum, with an age of Prehistory–1881 and a range of Limestone island at the Falls of the Ohio · Kentucky, United States. Purple pea flowers grew on one limestone river island, with the final herbarium collection made in 1881.
Orbexilum stipulatum was a perennial legume possibly maintained by bison movement and seasonal flooding. Three-part leaves carried large stipules beneath compact flower heads.
02 / QUICK FACTS
Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea at a glance
- Scientific name
- Orbexilum stipulatum
- Age
- Prehistory–1881
- Last recorded stage
- 19th century
- Known range
- Limestone island at the Falls of the Ohio · Kentucky, United States
- Broad group
- plant
- Archive era
- Recently extinct
- Habitat signals
- plant communities, soils, water availability and climate
- Documented regions
- North America
03 / ANATOMY
How was Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea built?
Overall body plan
Purple pea flowers grew on one limestone river island, with the final herbarium collection made in 1881.
Growth architecture
The available record is interpreted through preserved proportions, attachment surfaces, wear and comparison with related organisms. For Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea, those observations must be separated from features added only for visual reconstruction.
Reproductive structures
Orbexilum stipulatum was a perennial legume possibly maintained by bison movement and seasonal flooding. Three-part leaves carried large stipules beneath compact flower heads.
Growth and individual variation
A single specimen does not define the whole species. Size, maturity, preservation and possible sex differences are considered before anatomical traits are treated as typical of Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea.
04 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
How did Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea live?
Orbexilum stipulatum was a perennial legume possibly maintained by bison movement and seasonal flooding. Three-part leaves carried large stipules beneath compact flower heads. This ecological reconstruction is strongest where anatomy, associated organisms and the depositional setting point in the same direction.
05 / DIET & BEHAVIOUR
What shaped its ecological limits?
Its populations depended on plant communities, soils, water availability and climate. Changes in any one factor did not necessarily cause immediate extinction, but interacting pressures could reduce range, recruitment and resilience.
06 / RANGE & HABITAT
Where and when did Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea live?
This archive currently lists Prehistory–1881; Limestone island at the Falls of the Ohio · Kentucky, United States. Fossil or historical occurrence data describe where evidence has been found, not every place the taxon once occupied. Species-level age and range limits still require source-specific review.
Documented geographic range
Limestone island at the Falls of the Ohio · Kentucky, United States. This boundary can change when specimens are reidentified or new localities are published.
Time window
Prehistory–1881, with the final recorded stage listed as 19th century. Rock units and dating uncertainty mean the true biological range may extend beyond the known record.
Environmental setting
The archive uses the broad habitat labels plant communities, soils, water availability and climate. These labels help explore related records; a habitat reconstruction requires evidence from individual localities.
07 / FOSSIL EVIDENCE
What evidence supports reconstructions of Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea?
Primary record
Nineteenth-century specimens, collectors' notes and a single locality record preserve the plant; repeated searches found no survivors.
Comparative anatomy
Preserved structures are compared with close and functionally similar organisms. The method can constrain posture and function, but analogy alone cannot prove colour, behaviour or soft tissue.
Age and locality
Stratigraphy and occurrence records place Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea within Prehistory–1881 and Limestone island at the Falls of the Ohio · Kentucky, United States. Reworked fossils and uncertain provenance are treated cautiously.
Open entity records
Links below connect the archive to available taxonomic and occurrence records. A matching name does not verify every ecological claim, and related-taxon links provide comparison rather than an exact species match.
08 / DISAPPEARANCE & DEBATE
Why did Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea disappear?
River engineering and dams submerged the only locality, while the loss of bison and habitat disturbance may have reduced regeneration.
The last fossil or observation marks the youngest evidence currently known, not necessarily the death of the final individual. Explanations are strongest when timing, environmental change and population biology agree; otherwise the profile preserves uncertainty instead of assigning a single dramatic cause.
09 / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea FAQ
What was Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea?
This archive records Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea under the scientific name Orbexilum stipulatum, with an age of Prehistory–1881. Purple pea flowers grew on one limestone river island, with the final herbarium collection made in 1881.
When did Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea live?
The current archive range is Prehistory–1881; its youngest recorded stage is 19th century.
Where was Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea found?
The archive currently lists Limestone island at the Falls of the Ohio · Kentucky, United States. Species-level locality assignments and the full geographic range still require source-specific review.
How do scientists know about Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea?
Nineteenth-century specimens, collectors' notes and a single locality record preserve the plant; repeated searches found no survivors.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Completed an AI-assisted bilingual audit of the archive record, corrected identified issues and clarified evidence limits; independent editorial review is pending.
- Expanded into a structured bilingual profile with anatomy, ecology, range, evidence, debate and FAQs; independent editorial review is pending.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS