Agalinis tenuifolia
Agalinis skinneriana
gérardie à feuilles ténues, slender-leaf agalinis, slender-leaf false foxglove
pale false foxglove, Skinner's false foxglove, Skinner's foxglove, Skinner's gerardia
simple or branched, 10–100 cm;
branches ascending to spreading, quadrangular, sharply ridged to winged distally, glabrate, sometimes scabrous.
simple or branched, 10–50(–60) cm;
branches ascending, sharply quadrangular, siliceous ridges and/or wings on angles distally, scabrous or scabridulous mostly on angles, especially proximally.
spreading, sometimes arching, ascending, or reflexed;
blade narrowly linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–70 x 0.3–6 mm, not fleshy, margins entire, adaxial surface scabrous;
axillary fascicles absent or shorter than subtending leaves.
proximal slightly spreading, distal ascending-appressed;
blade linear, 5–20(–25) x 0.5–1.5 mm, not fleshy, margins entire, abaxial midvein scabrous, adaxial surface scabrous;
axillary fascicles absent.
racemes, elongate, flowers 2 per node;
bracts shorter than, or longer than, or both shorter and longer than, pedicels.
racemes, flowers 2 per node on central terminal raceme;
bracts both longer and shorter than, or shorter than, pedicels, secondary branches with shorter pedicels, bracts shorter than pedicels.
ascending-spreading, some upcurved distally, 6–25 mm, glabrous.
erect-ascending, (3–)5–17(–30) mm, glabrous or sparsely scabridulous.
calyx obconic to hemispheric, tube 2.3–5.5 mm, glabrous, lobes subulate to triangular-subulate, 0.3–2 mm;
corolla pink to rose purple, with 2 yellow lines and red spots in abaxial throat, 7–23 mm, throat pilose externally and glabrous within across bases and sinus of adaxial lobes, lobes: abaxial projected or spreading, adaxial projected over distal anthers, 2–8 mm, abaxial pilose externally, adaxial glabrous externally or pilose proximally;
proximal anthers perpendicular or oblique to filaments, distal perpendicular and vertical to filaments, pollen sacs 1–4 mm;
style exserted, 6.7–18 mm.
calyx hemispheric, tube 2–4.5 mm, glabrous, lobes triangular-subulate, 0.3–1.2 mm;
corolla whitish to pale pink or pink, with 2 pale yellow lines and red spots in abaxial throat or lines absent, 8–16 mm, throat pilose externally and villous within across bases and sinus of adaxial lobes, lobes: abaxial spreading, adaxial spreading to reflexed, 3–4 mm, glabrous externally;
proximal anthers parallel to filaments, distal perpendicular to filaments, pollen sacs 0.6–1.2 mm;
style exserted, 4–8 mm.
globular, 4–7 mm.
globular, 3.5–5 mm.
tan to brown, 0.5–1.5 mm.
yellow, 0.6–1 mm.
= 28.
= 26.
Agalinis tenuifolia
Agalinis skinneriana
Populations of Agalinis tenuifolia in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and possibly Prince Edward Island in Canada are presumed introduced.
Agalinis tenuifolia is the most widespread and morphologically variable species of the genus in the flora area. Infraspecific taxa have been recognized based on differences in sizes of corollas, calyx lobes, anthers, capsules, and leaves; presence or absence of axillary fascicles; density of indument on stamens; branches ascending versus spreading; and even the stoutness of reticulations on seed coats. These characters intergrade within and among populations and occur in many other combinations in addition to those described, making these infraspecific taxa arbitrary and inconsistent with plants in the field. Pressed specimens of A. tenuifolia are often confused with A. gattingeri from which they differ by lacking a villous band of trichomes within the corolla at the bases of the adaxial corolla lobes present in A. gattingeri; projecting adaxial corolla lobes versus erect to recurved lobes in A. gattingeri; elongate racemes with two flowers per node versus one flower per node, often appearing to terminate branches in A. gattingeri; and low wings of tissue on the branch angles that are absent or less pronounced in A. gattingeri.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Agalinis skinneriana is rare throughout its relatively wide range. Specimens of A. skinneriana are often misidentified as A. gattingeri or A. tenuifolia, which also have elongated pedicels. Characters that differ between A. gattingeri and A. skinneriana are given in the discussion of 14. A. gattingeri. Although A. skinneriana and A. tenuifolia both have low wings on the stem angles, the flowers of the two species differ. The corolla throat is villous within at the bases of the reflexed adaxial lobes in A. skinneriana, while the corolla throat is glabrous within at the bases of forward-projecting adaxial lobes of A. tenuifolia. The abaxial corolla lobes are glabrous externally in A. skinneriana, but the abaxial lobes of A. tenuifolia are pilose externally. The main stem on plants of A. skinneriana is often simple or has few branches, and the leaves are strongly ascending to appressed on secondary branches. Stems of A. tenuifolia are usually much branched and the leaves are spreading, arching, or reflexed, sometimes ascending, but not appressed. Plants of A. tenuifolia may have axillary fascicles; fascicles are absent in A. skinneriana.
Agalinis skinneriana is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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