Drymocallis lactea
Drymocallis cuneifolia
Nevada cinquefoil, Sierran woodbeauty
short.
elongate.
tufted, (0.3–)1.5–6(–6.5) dm;
base 1–2.5 mm diam., not or sparsely, sometimes moderately, septate-glandular.
openly tufted to loosely spaced, 0.5–4.5 dm;
base 1–2 mm diam., sparsely septate-glandular.
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.
sparsely to moderately hairy;
basal 2–15 cm, leaflet pairs (2–)3–5;
terminal leaflet broadly cuneate to nearly round, 0.6–2(–3.5) × 0.5–2 cm, teeth irregularly single, 2–4 per side, apex rounded to truncate;
cauline 0–1(–2), reduced, leaflet pairs 1–2.
(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)°.
3–10(–15)-flowered, not leafy, open, 1/4–3/4 of stem, wide, branch angles 20–75°.
2–10 (proximal to 30) mm, predominantly short-hairy, sometimes velutinous, not or sparsely, sometimes moderately, septate-glandular.
2–15 (proximal to 30) mm, sparsely to moderately short-hairy, septate-glandular.
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.
opening narrowly;
epicalyx bractlets linear to narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 1–2 × 0.5 mm;
sepals erect, 2–5 mm, apex broadly obtuse;
petals scarcely overlapping, erect, yellow, narrowly obovate, 2–4 × 1.5–2.5 mm, ± equal to or slightly longer than sepals;
filaments 1.5–2.5 mm, anthers 0.5–0.8 mm;
styles slender, 1.5–2.5 mm.
light brown, 1 mm.
brown, 0.8–1.2 mm.
Drymocallis lactea
Drymocallis cuneifolia
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.)
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Drymocallis cuneifolia has a complex nomenclatural history, complicated by the extreme rarity of the typical variety. Rydberg described the species on the basis of a single collection from the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, probably near Green Lead Mines. When comparable (though significantly smaller) plants were found in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, P. A. Munz and I. M. Johnston (1925) adopted Potentilla cuneifolia (Rydberg) Th. Wolf for both extremes; this name was later replaced with P. peirsonii because of the earlier P. cuneifolia Bertoloni. In the absence of comparable new collections from the San Bernardino Mountains, D. D. Keck (in J. Clausen et al. 1940) concluded that the type of D. cuneifolia was merely an immature specimen of D. lactea var. lactea and accordingly described P. glandulosa subsp. ewanii to accommodate populations in the San Gabriel Mountains.
The 2004 discovery of a small population of plants comparable to the type of Drymocallis cuneifolia from near the type locality (Elvin 3555, IRVC, UCR) confirms that D. cuneifolia is a valid taxon that shares most of the diagnostic features of populations in the San Gabriel Mountains. Plants in the San Bernardino Mountains tend to be larger than those in the San Gabriel Mountains, with fewer and somewhat differently shaped leaflets; they are accordingly treated here as varieties.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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 |
1. Stems 2–4.5 dm; basal leaves 5–15 cm; San Bernardino Mountains. | var. cuneifolia |
1. Stems 0.5–2(–2.5) dm; basal leaves 2–10 cm; San Gabriel Mountains. | var. ewanii |
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
