The Harperella  have a small, white flower similar to Queen Anne's lace. The flowers are bisexual or unisexual.  The leaves resemble a quill and are hollow.  This herb can grow to be 6 to 36 inches in height.
    Harperella occurs in two habitats.  They grow in rocky or gravel shoals and in the edges of clear, swift-flowing streams  and edges of pineland ponds in the coastal plain

Reason for the species decline in population:

   The plant requires  moderate spring floods which reduce or eliminate other vegetation.  Changes in the water routing by drainage or deepening of ponds may cause it to die.  Siltation, pollution, and shoreline development have also caused Harperella to disappear.

Protection:

      Heritage programs in West Virginia have been instrumental in preserving habitat. Because it does not occur on federal land, it receives no direct protection from federal management.  It's habitat is not protected by state laws.