Burke: Parnassia fimbriata vs. Parnassia palustris

	Parnassia fimbriata	Parnassia palustris
	fringed Grass-of-Parnassus, fringed grass of parnassus	Grass-of-Parnassus, northern grass-of-parnassus
Habit	Glabrous, scapose perennial from a short, stout rhizome, the flowering stems 1-several, 1.5-3 dm. tall, with a cordate-clasping bract about mid-length on the scape.	Glabrous, scapose perennial herb from a short rhizome, the flowering stems 10-25 cm. tall, with a lanceolate to broadly ovate bract up to 3 cm. long and 2.5 mm. broad about mid-length on the scape.
Leaves	Leaves all basal, entire, long-petiolate, the blades 2-4 cm. broad, reniform, usually broader than long, with prominent parallel veins.	Leaves basal, the petioles 1.5-4 times as long as the blades; leaf blades deltoid-ovate to elliptic-ovate, 10-20 mm. long, abruptly tapered, usually truncate.
Flowers	Flowers terminal and single on long scapes, about 2 cm. broad; calyx fused to the ovary for about 1 mm., the 5 lobes ovate-oblong, 4-7 mm. long, the tip usually fringed; petals white, 8-12 mm. long, obovate, tapering at the base, the lower half fringed, the upper half entire.	Flowers single and terminal on long, erect peduncles; calyx attached to the ovary for 2-3 mm., the 5 lobes lanceolate, entire, 5-8 mm. long, 5-9 veined; petals 5, white, ovate to elliptic-ovate, 7-12 mm. long, not clawed; scale-like projection at base of petal flared into a broadened upper portion divided into 7-11 slender segments; filaments broad, longer or shorter than the 2-3 mm. long anthers.
Fruits	Ovary mostly superior, capsule ovoid, 1 cm. long; carpels 4.	Capsule ovoid, 10-12 mm. long.

	Parnassia fimbriata	Parnassia palustris
Flowering time	July-September	July-August
Habitat	Bogs, stream banks and wet meadows, mid- to high elevations in the mountains.	Arctic tundra to moist, shaded areas in the mountains, where usually along streams or around springs.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Alberta, Montana and New Mexico. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring on both sides of the Casades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the northern Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and northeastern North America. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Sensitive in Washington (WANHP)
Sibling taxa	P. cirrata, P. kotzebuei, P. palustris, P. parviflora	P. cirrata, P. fimbriata, P. kotzebuei, P. parviflora
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Parnassia fimbriata

Parnassia palustris

fringed Grass-of-Parnassus, fringed grass of parnassus

Grass-of-Parnassus, northern grass-of-parnassus

Habit

Glabrous, scapose perennial from a short, stout rhizome, the flowering stems 1-several, 1.5-3 dm. tall, with a cordate-clasping bract about mid-length on the scape.

Glabrous, scapose perennial herb from a short rhizome, the flowering stems 10-25 cm. tall, with a lanceolate to broadly ovate bract up to 3 cm. long and 2.5 mm. broad about mid-length on the scape.

Leaves

Leaves all basal, entire, long-petiolate, the blades 2-4 cm. broad, reniform, usually broader than long, with prominent parallel veins.

Leaves basal, the petioles 1.5-4 times as long as the blades;

leaf blades deltoid-ovate to elliptic-ovate, 10-20 mm. long, abruptly tapered, usually truncate.

Flowers

Flowers terminal and single on long scapes, about 2 cm. broad;

calyx fused to the ovary for about 1 mm., the 5 lobes ovate-oblong, 4-7 mm. long, the tip usually fringed;

petals white, 8-12 mm. long, obovate, tapering at the base, the lower half fringed, the upper half entire.

Flowers single and terminal on long, erect peduncles;

calyx attached to the ovary for 2-3 mm., the 5 lobes lanceolate, entire, 5-8 mm. long, 5-9 veined;

petals 5, white, ovate to elliptic-ovate, 7-12 mm. long, not clawed; scale-like projection at base of petal flared into a broadened upper portion divided into 7-11 slender segments;

filaments broad, longer or shorter than the 2-3 mm. long anthers.

Fruits

Ovary mostly superior, capsule ovoid, 1 cm. long;

carpels 4.

Capsule ovoid, 10-12 mm. long.

Parnassia fimbriata

Parnassia palustris

Flowering time

July-September

July-August

Habitat

Bogs, stream banks and wet meadows, mid- to high elevations in the mountains.

Arctic tundra to moist, shaded areas in the mountains, where usually along streams or around springs.

Distribution

Occurring on both sides of the Cascades in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Alberta, Montana and New Mexico.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Occurring on both sides of the Casades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the northern Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and northeastern North America.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Native

Conservation status

Not of concern

Sensitive in Washington (WANHP)

Sibling taxa

P. cirrata, P. kotzebuei, P. palustris, P. parviflora

P. cirrata, P. fimbriata, P. kotzebuei, P. parviflora

Web links