Epilobium saximontanum |
Epilobium rigidum |
|
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glandular willowherb, Rocky Mountain willowherb, Rocky Mountain willowweed, épilobe des rocheuses |
rigid willowherb, Siskiyou Mountains. willowherb, stiff willowherb |
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Habit | Herbs usually with sessile, fleshy, underground turions, or sometimes thick, elongated shoots with dark, decussate scales. | Herbs from woody caudex forming hypogeal shoots with barklike periderm. |
Stems | erect, strict, terete, 4–55 cm, simple or well branched in age, subglabrous proximally to mixed strigillose and glandular puberulent distally, with raised strigillose lines decurrent from margins of petioles. |
several to many, suberect or ascending, terete, 10–40 cm, simple or sparsely branched, usually glabrous and ± glaucous proximal to inflorescence, strigillose distally, sometimes densely strigillose throughout. |
Leaves | opposite proximal to inflorescence, alternate and reduced distally, often ± appressed, usually subsessile, rarely petiole 1–3 mm, often clasping; blade obovate proximally to ovate, lanceolate, or narrowly elliptic distally, 1–5.5(–6.5) × 0.4–2(–2.4) cm, base rounded or obtuse, margins low denticulate, 9–30 teeth per side, veins ± conspicuous, 3–6 per side, apex subacute, surfaces subglabrous with strigillose margins; bracts much reduced. |
crowded distally, petiole 2–6 mm, blade narrowly ovate to ovate or broadly elliptic, often obovate in proximal pairs; cauline 2–4.5 × 0.8–2 cm, base rounded to attenuate, margins subentire or finely denticulate, 8–12 teeth per side, lateral veins inconspicuous, 3–5 per side, apex obtuse proximally to subacute distally, surfaces glaucous and subglabrous to densely strigillose; bracts narrower and much smaller. |
Inflorescences | erect, sometimes nodding in bud, racemes, sometimes sparsely branched. |
erect racemes, simple, ± densely strigillose, rarely mixed sparsely glandular puberulent. |
Flowers | erect; buds 2–3.5 × 1.8–2.5 mm; pedicel 0–1 mm; floral tube 0.8–1.4 × 0.8–1.9 mm, ring of sparse spreading hairs at mouth inside; sepals sometimes flushed red, 1.2–3.5 × 0.6–1.4 mm, abaxial surface strigillose and sometimes mixed glandular puberulent; petals usually white, infrequently pink, 2.2–5(–7) × 1.7–3.2 mm, apical notch 0.4–1.5 mm; filaments usually cream, rarely light pink, those of longer stamens 2–3.5 mm, those of shorter ones 1–2 mm; anthers cream to light yellow, 0.3–0.8 × 0.3–0.5 mm; ovary 9–30 mm, densely strigillose and glandular puberulent; style cream or yellow, 1.6–2.8 mm, stigma usually narrowly to broadly clavate, rarely subcapitate, 1–3 × 0.8–2 mm, surrounded by at least longer anthers. |
erect; buds 6–11 × 4–5 mm, apiculate; pedicels 4–8 mm; floral tube 1–1.8 × 2–3 mm, with raised ring of tissue edged with spreading hairs at mouth inside; sepals often reddish green, lanceolate, 9.5–14.5 × 2.5–3.5 mm, apex acuminate, abaxial surface densely strigillose; petals pink to rose-purple, obcordate, 16–20 × 13–16 mm, apical notch 3.4–5.5 mm; filaments light pink, those of longer stamens 9–14 mm, those of shorter ones 6.5–10 mm; anthers cream, 1.8–3.5 × 1–1.9 mm; ovary 6–12 mm, densely strigillose; style cream to light pink, 14.5–18.5 mm, stigma broadly 4-lobed, 1–1.5 × 3–3.5 mm, exserted beyond anthers. |
Capsules | 30–55(–70) mm, surfaces mixed strigillose and glandular puberulent; usually subsessile, rarely pedicel 1–5 mm, often appressed to stem. |
20–35 mm, surfaces strigillose; pedicel 9–13 mm, bracts often attached 2–3 mm from base. |
Seeds | very narrowly obovoid, 1–1.6(–1.8) × 0.4–0.6 mm, chalazal collar 0.1–0.2 mm, light brown or gray, surface rugose to papillose; coma usually readily detached, white, 3–9 mm. |
narrowly obovoid, constriction 0.6–0.8 mm from micropylar end, 2.5–3.4 × 0.9–1.4 mm, chalazal collar obscure, light brown, surface papillose; coma easily detached, white, 6–8 mm. |
2n | = 36. |
= 36. |
Epilobium saximontanum |
Epilobium rigidum |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jul–Sep. | Flowering Jul–Sep. |
Habitat | Montane semi-shaded stream banks, damp meadows, mossy seeps, wet slatey cliffs, disturbed or seasonally damp areas. | Dry rocky or sandy benches, rocky hillsides, dry streambeds in coniferous forests, on seasonally moist serpentine slopes, rarely along disturbed roadsides. |
Elevation | 0–3700 m. (0–12100 ft.) | 100–1200(–1500) m. (300–3900(–4900) ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; NF; ON; QC
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CA; OR
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Discussion | Epilobium saximontanum is morphologically similar to E. ciliatum (especially subsp. glandulosum) with which it also shares the AA chromosome arrangement. However, in addition to its fleshy compact turions, it very characteristically has notably appressed capsules, unlike most other species in the genus, and a notably strict habit. The distribution of Epilobium saximontanum is unusual; it includes the Rocky Mountain region, only barely reaching the high southern Sierra Nevada, disjunct to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and more widely in eastern Canada, from the shores of Hudson Bay to Newfoundland. Specimens are fairly uniform across this wide and rather discontinuous range, although locally they show some variability, possibly due to hybridization with any of several species that may be sympatric with it. H. Lewis and D. M. Moore (1962) reported hybrids between E. saximontanum (cited as E. brevistylum) and E. ciliatum subsp. ciliatum (cited as E. adenocaulon) from Colorado, and herbarium specimens with E. saximontanum and apparent hybrids are not uncommon. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Within its range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, Epilobium rigidum is restricted to unusually dry habitats compared to most species in sect. Epilobium, but is not unlike taxa in the non-n = 18 clade, which are both perennial and annual. It is self-compatible, but with strongly protandrous flowers and an exserted stigma, and is modally outcrossing, pollinated by bees and flies. Plant vestiture varies from subglabrous to densely strigillose throughout (var. canescens), but plants with these differences can be in the same population, and no other morphological differences between them have been found. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 10. | FNA vol. 10. |
Parent taxa | Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Epilobieae > Epilobium > sect. Epilobium | Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Epilobieae > Epilobium > sect. Macrocarpa |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. adenocaulon subsp. rubescens, E. drummondii, E. drummondii var. latiusculum, E. latiusculum, E. ovatifolium, E. rubescens, E. scalare, E. stramineum | E. rigidum var. canescens |
Name authority | Haussknecht: Oesterr. Bot. Z. 29: 119. (1879) | Haussknecht: Oesterr. Bot. Z. 29: 51. (1879) |
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