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enchanter's-nightshade, small enchanter's-nightshade

Photo is of parent taxon

dwarf enchanter's nightshade, enchanter's-nightshade, small enchanter's nightshade

Habit Herbs glabrous or pubescent with at least a few recurved, falcate hairs, glabrous or glandular puberulent distally; stolons with apical tuber.
Stems

3–50 cm.

soft, flattened after pressing and appearing winged, glabrous.

Leaves

petiole 0.3–5 cm;

blade usually ovate to broadly ovate, rarely suborbiculate, 1.5–7.5(–11) × 1.5–5.5(–8) cm.

petiole 0.3–4 cm;

blade 1.5–7.5 × 1.5–5.5 cm, margins conspicuously dentate, base usually cordate to sub-cordate, rarely truncate or rounded, apex short acuminate to acute.

Inflorescences

0.7–12(–17) cm.

glabrous or sparsely to densely glandular puberulent.

Flowers

opening before elongation of axis, corymbiform;

pedicels erect or ascending at anthesis, 0.7–3.5 mm, with or without a minute, setaceous bracteole at base;

floral tube a mere constriction to 0.6 mm, funnelform to very broadly so, nectary wholly within floral tube;

sepals white or pink, sometimes purple tinged apically, oblong or ovate to broadly ovate, 0.8–1.8(–2.2) × 0.6–1.3 mm;

petals white, obtriangular or obdeltate to obovate or broadly obovate, 0.6–2 × 0.6–1.8 mm;

apical notch to 1/2 length of petal;

filaments 0.7–2.2 mm;

style 0.6–2.3 mm.

clustered at apex of raceme, opening before elongation of raceme axis;

floral tube a mere constriction between ovary and base of sepals to 0.5 mm;

apical notch of petal 1/4–1/2 length of petal;

pedicel and mature fruit combined length 3.7–6.5 mm.

Capsules

clavoid, tapering smoothly to pedicel, without ribs or grooves, 1.6–2.6 × 0.5–1.2 mm, 1-locular, 1-seeded;

pedicel and mature fruit combined length 3.5–7.8 mm.

2n

= 22.

Circaea alpina

Circaea alpina subsp. alpina

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist to wet places, on moss covered rocks and logs, cool, temperate and boreal forests.
Elevation 0–2500 m. (0–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
North America; Europe; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; CT; DC; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; cool; on moss covered rocks and logs; temperate and boreal forests; Moist to wet places
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 6 (2 in the flora).

Circaea alpina inhabits moist places, and is also found on moss covered rocks and logs in cold temperate and boreal forests at high altitudes and latitudes throughout the northern hemisphere and in the tropics and subtropics at high elevations in southern and southeastern Asia, at elevations 0–5000 m.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Stems glabrous; leaf blade margins conspicuously dentate, base usually cordate to subcordate, rarely truncate or rounded.
subsp. alpina
1. Stems with at least a few recurved, falcate hairs; leaf blade margins subentire to minutely denticulate, base usually rounded to subcordate, rarely cordate.
subsp. pacifica
Source FNA vol. 10. FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Circaeeae > Circaea Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Circaeeae > Circaea > Circaea alpina
Sibling taxa
C. canadensis, C. ×sterilis
C. alpina subsp. pacifica
Subordinate taxa
C. alpina subsp. alpina, C. alpina subsp. pacifica
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 9. (1753) unknown
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