FNA: Corispermum pacificum vs. Corispermum pallidum

	Corispermum pacificum	Corispermum pallidum
	common bugseed, Pacific bug-seed	pale bugseed
Habit	Plants usually branched from base, (5–)15–40 cm, glabrous or sparsely covered with dendroid hairs (especially when young).	Plants branched from base, 5–25 cm, covered with dendroid and almost stellate hairs and minute papillae (especially on veins of young bracts and distal leaves), occasionally almost glabrous.
Leaf	blades narrowly lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, or linear, flat or nearly so, 2–5(–7) × 0.2–0.6 cm.	blades linear, narrowly linear, occasionally linear-spatulate, rarely almost filiform, flat or occasionally slightly convolute (especially at maturity and in dry plants), 2–5 × 0.1–0.2(–0.3) cm.
Bracts	ovate-lanceolate, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, almost ovate, or lanceolate, (1–)1.5–2.5 × 0.3–0.7(–0.9) cm.	usually narrowly ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) × 0.2–0.5 cm.
Inflorescences	usually compact, rather dense, or sometimes ± lax, condensed only near apex, ovoid, oblong-ovate, obovate, broadly linear, or occasionally clavate.	lax or slightly condensed, interrupted only near base, linear.
Perianth	segment 1, sometimes absent in distal flowers.	segment 1.
Fruits	usually black (rarely deep olive green, especially when immature), sharply contrasting with greenish semitransparent wings, without spots and warts, slightly convex abaxially, flat or slightly concave adaxially, orbiculate-obovate to almost orbiculate, broadest near middle (or occasionally slightly beyond), 3–4 × 2.7–3.8 mm, shiny; wing translucent, thin, (0.2–)0.3–0.6 mm wide, margins slightly undulate or indistinctly erose-denticulate, apex rounded or occasionally indistinctly notched.	pale, usually straw-colored or yellowish brown, occasionally with reddish brown spots, flattened or slightly convex abaxially, plane or slightly concave adaxially, rounded-obovate or obovate, distinctly broadest beyond middle (rarely closer to middle), 2.8–3.5(–3.8) × 2.4–2.8(–3.3) mm, slightly shiny or dull; wing translucent, thin, usually 0.7–1 mm wide, margins erose or irregularly erose-denticulate (rarely almost entire), apex emarginate (notched) or rounded.

	Corispermum pacificum	Corispermum pallidum
Phenology	Flowering late summer–fall.	Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat	Sandy shores, dunes	Sandy shores of lakes and rivers, inland open sands
Elevation	0-500 m (0-1600 ft)	300-400 m (1000-1300 ft)
Distribution	ID; OR; WA [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	WA [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Of conservation concern. Corispermum pacificum seems to be closely related to Siberian C. crassifolium Turczaninov and C. maynense Ignatov. The latter species occurs in the northeastern Russian Far East and may be expected to occur in Alaska. Corispermum pacificum differs from C. maynense by its usually more robust habit, and its wing rounded (rarely rounded-truncate or indistinctly emarginate, but not triangular) at apex. From C. crassifolium it may be distinguished by the constant presence of perianth segments, and more flattened black mature fruits. Corispermum pacificum probably also occurs in adjacent regions of British Columbia. Corispermum pacificum is placed in subsect. Crassifolia (S. L. Mosyakin 1997). This subsection seems to be of Siberian origin, with its central species, C. crassifolium, being closest to the hypothetic ancestral taxon. The presence of perianth segments in C. pacificum may be explained by ancient hybridization with representatives of subsect. Pallasiana. Reproductive isolation between the sympatric species of Corispermum may be achieved by different flowering periods. Occasional hybrids between C. pacificum and C. villosum are similar in their habit to C. pacificum in having usually broad leaves and rather dense inflorescences but they have mostly aborted fruits suggesting that C. pacificum and C. villosum are taxonomically distant species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	Of conservation concern. The combination of characteristics of Corispermum pallidum is very distinctive: pale, flattened, and small fruit body; very wide (especially as compared to the fruit dimensions), thin, translucent wing with erose margins, long style bases (ca. 0.7–1 mm, including their parts adnate to wing), distinctly divided in their upper parts to below the edge of the wing. Young bracts and distal leaves of C. pallidum are often papillose on margins and veins, in combination with typical branched trichomes. Corispermum pallidum seems to be related to the eastern Asian C. macrocarpum Bunge ex Maximowicz aggregate (subsect. Platyptera Mosyakin). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 4, p. 319.	FNA vol. 4, p. 319.
Parent taxa	Chenopodiaceae > Corispermum	Chenopodiaceae > Corispermum
Sibling taxa	C. americanum, C. hookeri, C. hyssopifolium, C. navicula, C. nitidum, C. ochotense, C. pallasii, C. pallidum, C. villosum, C. welshii	C. americanum, C. hookeri, C. hyssopifolium, C. navicula, C. nitidum, C. ochotense, C. pacificum, C. pallasii, C. villosum, C. welshii
Name authority	Mosyakin: Novon 5: 345, fig. 1A. (1995)	Mosyakin: Novon 5: 347, fig. 1B. (1995)
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: 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	Local floras: WA Local Web sites: 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

Corispermum pallidum

common bugseed, Pacific bug-seed

pale bugseed

Habit

Plants usually branched from base, (5–)15–40 cm, glabrous or sparsely covered with dendroid hairs (especially when young).

Plants branched from base, 5–25 cm, covered with dendroid and almost stellate hairs and minute papillae (especially on veins of young bracts and distal leaves), occasionally almost glabrous.

Leaf

blades narrowly lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, or linear, flat or nearly so, 2–5(–7) × 0.2–0.6 cm.

blades linear, narrowly linear, occasionally linear-spatulate, rarely almost filiform, flat or occasionally slightly convolute (especially at maturity and in dry plants), 2–5 × 0.1–0.2(–0.3) cm.

Bracts

ovate-lanceolate, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, almost ovate, or lanceolate, (1–)1.5–2.5 × 0.3–0.7(–0.9) cm.

usually narrowly ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) × 0.2–0.5 cm.

Inflorescences

usually compact, rather dense, or sometimes ± lax, condensed only near apex, ovoid, oblong-ovate, obovate, broadly linear, or occasionally clavate.

lax or slightly condensed, interrupted only near base, linear.

Perianth

segment 1, sometimes absent in distal flowers.

segment 1.

Fruits

usually black (rarely deep olive green, especially when immature), sharply contrasting with greenish semitransparent wings, without spots and warts, slightly convex abaxially, flat or slightly concave adaxially, orbiculate-obovate to almost orbiculate, broadest near middle (or occasionally slightly beyond), 3–4 × 2.7–3.8 mm, shiny;

wing translucent, thin, (0.2–)0.3–0.6 mm wide, margins slightly undulate or indistinctly erose-denticulate, apex rounded or occasionally indistinctly notched.

pale, usually straw-colored or yellowish brown, occasionally with reddish brown spots, flattened or slightly convex abaxially, plane or slightly concave adaxially, rounded-obovate or obovate, distinctly broadest beyond middle (rarely closer to middle), 2.8–3.5(–3.8) × 2.4–2.8(–3.3) mm, slightly shiny or dull;

wing translucent, thin, usually 0.7–1 mm wide, margins erose or irregularly erose-denticulate (rarely almost entire), apex emarginate (notched) or rounded.

Corispermum pacificum

Corispermum pallidum

Phenology

Flowering late summer–fall.

Habitat

Sandy shores, dunes

Sandy shores of lakes and rivers, inland open sands

Elevation

0-500 m (0-1600 ft)

300-400 m (1000-1300 ft)

Distribution

ID; OR; WA

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Corispermum pacificum seems to be closely related to Siberian C. crassifolium Turczaninov and C. maynense Ignatov. The latter species occurs in the northeastern Russian Far East and may be expected to occur in Alaska. Corispermum pacificum differs from C. maynense by its usually more robust habit, and its wing rounded (rarely rounded-truncate or indistinctly emarginate, but not triangular) at apex. From C. crassifolium it may be distinguished by the constant presence of perianth segments, and more flattened black mature fruits. Corispermum pacificum probably also occurs in adjacent regions of British Columbia. Corispermum pacificum is placed in subsect. Crassifolia (S. L. Mosyakin 1997). This subsection seems to be of Siberian origin, with its central species, C. crassifolium, being closest to the hypothetic ancestral taxon. The presence of perianth segments in C. pacificum may be explained by ancient hybridization with representatives of subsect. Pallasiana.

Reproductive isolation between the sympatric species of Corispermum may be achieved by different flowering periods. Occasional hybrids between C. pacificum and C. villosum are similar in their habit to C. pacificum in having usually broad leaves and rather dense inflorescences but they have mostly aborted fruits suggesting that C. pacificum and C. villosum are taxonomically distant species.

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

Of conservation concern.

The combination of characteristics of Corispermum pallidum is very distinctive: pale, flattened, and small fruit body; very wide (especially as compared to the fruit dimensions), thin, translucent wing with erose margins, long style bases (ca. 0.7–1 mm, including their parts adnate to wing), distinctly divided in their upper parts to below the edge of the wing. Young bracts and distal leaves of C. pallidum are often papillose on margins and veins, in combination with typical branched trichomes. Corispermum pallidum seems to be related to the eastern Asian C. macrocarpum Bunge ex Maximowicz aggregate (subsect. Platyptera Mosyakin).

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

Source

FNA vol. 4, p. 319.

Parent taxa

Chenopodiaceae > Corispermum

Sibling taxa

C. americanum, C. hookeri, C. hyssopifolium, C. navicula, C. nitidum, C. ochotense, C. pallasii, C. pallidum, C. villosum, C. welshii

C. americanum, C. hookeri, C. hyssopifolium, C. navicula, C. nitidum, C. ochotense, C. pacificum, C. pallasii, C. villosum, C. welshii

Name authority

Mosyakin: Novon 5: 345, fig. 1A. (1995)

Mosyakin: Novon 5: 347, fig. 1B. (1995)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

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Corispermum pacificum

Corispermum pallidum

Corispermum pacificum

Corispermum pallidum