The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Idaho drymocallis, Idaho drymocallis or wood beauty

Nevada cinquefoil, Sierran woodbeauty

Caudex branches

short.

short.

Stems

± tufted, (2–)2.5–6(–8) dm;

base 2–3 mm diam., moderately to densely septate-glandular.

tufted, (0.3–)1.5–6(–6.5) dm;

base 1–2.5 mm diam., not or sparsely, sometimes moderately, septate-glandular.

Leaves

glabrate or sparsely hairy (hairier at northern margin of range);

basal (8–)20–30 cm, leaflet pairs 2–4;

terminal leaflet ± obovate, 2–6(–7) × (1–)1.5–3 cm, teeth ± double, 5–25 per side, apex obtuse to acute;

cauline 0–2, well developed, leaflet pairs 1–3.

usually sparsely to moderately hairy, sometimes glabrate;

basal (2–)5–20(–30) cm, leaflet pairs (2–)3–4(–5);

terminal leaflet broadly obovate to cuneate, 1–4 × 0.7–3.5 cm, teeth usually single, 4–10(–14) per side, apex usually rounded to obtuse, rarely acute;

cauline 1–2, reduced, leaflet pairs 2–3.

Inflorescences

(5–)10–30(–60)-flowered, leafy, open, 1/6–2/3 of stem, wide, branch angles (20–)30–60°.

(2–)5–30(–50)-flowered, not leafy, open, (1/6–)1/5–1/2(–4/5) of stem, narrow to wide, branch angles 10–40(–50)°.

Pedicels

5–40 (proximal to 45) mm, sparsely to moderately short-hairy, predominantly septate-glandular.

2–10 (proximal to 30) mm, predominantly short-hairy, sometimes velutinous, not or sparsely, sometimes moderately, septate-glandular.

Flowers

opening widely;

epicalyx bractlets linear-oblanceolate, 2–6 × 0.5–1 mm;

sepals spreading, 4–7(–8) mm, apex usually acute, rarely obtuse;

petals ± overlapping, spreading, usually bright, sometimes pale, yellow, broadly obovate to round, 5–12 × (4–)5–11 mm, usually longer, rarely shorter, than sepals;

filaments 1.5–4 mm, anthers 0.7–1 mm;

styles thickened, 1 mm.

opening widely;

epicalyx bractlets linear-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 2–5 × 0.5–1.5 mm;

sepals spreading, 3–8(–9) mm, apex usually acute, sometimes obtuse and apiculate;

petals ± overlapping, spreading, cream-white to bright yellow, broadly obovate, (3–)4–8(–10) × 3–8 mm, usually longer than, rarely equal to, sepals;

filaments 1–3(–3.5) mm, anthers 0.6–1 mm;

styles thickened, 1 mm.

Achenes

brown to reddish, 1.2 mm.

light brown, 1 mm.

Drymocallis glabrata

Drymocallis lactea

Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Montane meadows, open forests
Elevation 400–2800 m (1300–9200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Drymocallis glabrata is the common member of the genus in central Idaho and adjacent parts of neighboring states, characterized by acute, glabrate leaves, leafy, widely branched inflorescences, relatively long pedicels with slender, septate glands, linear-oblanceolate epicalyx bractlets, and relatively large, bright yellow petals. Plants from northern Idaho, at the lower elevational extreme, tend to be hairier than those elsewhere in the species range. The species enters Utah in Cache and Weber counties; most other Utah populations placed by S. L. Welsh et al. (1993) in this taxon (as Potentilla glandulosa var. intermedia) are treated here as D. deseretica.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Drymocallis lactea has had a well-established identity as Potentilla glandulosa var. (or subsp.) nevadensis; however, the epithet lactea has priority at species rank and avoids possible confusion with P. nevadensis Boissier. D. D. Keck (in J. Clausen et al. 1940) based his concept of P. glandulosa subsp. nevadensis on white-petaled plants with narrow inflorescences, the common form in the central Sierra Nevada and south. His map and annotations, however, include populations with yellow petals and widely branched inflorescences from northern California and adjacent Oregon. The two extremes merge in the northern Sierra Nevada, and populations in the North Coast Ranges of California also are problematic; the extremes are accordingly treated here as varieties of a single species. The inclusion by Keck of Washington in the species range might have been based on specimens here assigned to P. pseudorupestris.

Drymocallis lactea can be distinguished from sympatric species by its relatively large, overlapping petals, non-leafy inflorescences, and singly toothed leaflets. Pedicels and distal stems are usually densely short-hairy with relatively few or no glandular hairs (in contrast to D. pseudorupestris), and septate glands are usually absent from stem bases (in contrast to D. hansenii). The distinction between D. lactea and D. pseudorupestris breaks down at the margin of the species range in Nevada and Oregon.

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

Key
1. Inflorescences narrow, branch angles 10–20°; petals cream-white to pale yellowish; pedicels and stems not or sparsely septate-glandular.
var. lactea
1. Inflorescences wide, branch angles mostly 20–40°; petals usually pale to bright yellow; pedicels and stems sometimes moderately septate-glandular.
var. austiniae
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 291. FNA vol. 9, p. 287.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Drymocallis Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Drymocallis
Sibling taxa
D. arguta, D. arizonica, D. ashlandica, D. campanulata, D. convallaria, D. cuneifolia, D. deseretica, D. fissa, D. glandulosa, D. hansenii, D. lactea, D. micropetala, D. pseudorupestris, D. rhomboidea
D. arguta, D. arizonica, D. ashlandica, D. campanulata, D. convallaria, D. cuneifolia, D. deseretica, D. fissa, D. glabrata, D. glandulosa, D. hansenii, D. micropetala, D. pseudorupestris, D. rhomboidea
Subordinate taxa
D. lactea var. austiniae, D. lactea var. lactea
Synonyms D. glandulosa subsp. glabrata, Potentilla glandulosa subsp. glabrata, P. glandulosa var. incisa, P. glandulosa var. intermedia Potentilla glandulosa var. lactea
Name authority Rydberg: Monogr. N. Amer. Potentilleae, 201, plate 109. (1898) (Greene) Rydberg: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 369. (1908)
Web links