The Coastal Plain Floristic Province is a biogeographic hotspot that contains a diverse flora, but botanists are still striving to learn the extent of its species diversity. Nine species of Paronychia (Caryophyllaceae) occur in the Coastal Plain Floristic Province, and an additional four species are distributed in the adjacent Appalachian Mountains. A recent study of ecological speciation in Paronychia taxa that occur in the Coastal Plain identified substantial phylogenetic distance between P. chartacea var. chartacea and P. chartacea var. minima. We evaluated the taxonomic status of the varieties and provide evidence for the recognition of P. minima at the specific level. Phylogenetic distances estimated from a posterior distribution of chronograms identified the two former varieties as being more divergent than other species pairs in the genus. In addition to a substantial geographic distance between the two disjunct taxa, we identified a suite of previously overlooked morphological traits that differentiate the two taxa. In recognizing P. chartacea var. minima at the specific rank, we recommend a reevaluation of its conservation status. A key is provided that allows for the identification of all Paronychia species from the Coastal Plain Floristic Province and Appalachian Mountains.

沿海平原植物区系是一个生物地理热点，包含多种植物群，但植物学家仍在努力了解其物种多样性的程度。Paronychia (Caryophyllaceae) 有9 种分布在沿海平原植物区系，另外 4 种分布在邻近的阿巴拉契亚山脉。最近对沿海平原Paronychia分类群生态物种形成的研究确定了P. chartacea var.之间的显着系统发育距离。chartacea和P. chartacea var。最低限度。我们评估了品种的分类地位，并为P. minima的识别提供了证据在特定层面。从年代图的后验分布估计的系统发育距离确定前两个变种比该属中的其他物种对更发散。除了两个分离的分类群之间的地理距离很大之外，我们还确定了一组以前被忽视的形态特征，可以区分这两个分类群。在识别P. chartacea var. 在特定等级的最小值，我们建议重新评估其保护状态。提供了一个密钥，可以识别来自沿海平原植物区和阿巴拉契亚山脉的所有甲沟炎物种。