Frasera albicaulis |
Frasera parryi |
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white-stem elkweed, white-stem frasera |
Coahuila frasera, Parry's frasera |
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| Habit | Herbs perennial, 1–6.5 dm. | Herbs perennial, 5–16 dm, glabrous. | ||||||||||||||||
| Stems | 1–few, with several rosettes. |
1 or 2. |
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| Leaf | blades narrowly white-margined; basal oblanceolate, 4–23 × 0.3–1.2(–2) cm, basal leaves generally longer than lowest internode; cauline leaves opposite, proximal blades oblanceolate to oblong, distal linear-oblong. |
blades white-margined; basal strap-shaped to elliptic-oblanceolate, 5–25 × 0.8–4 cm; cauline leaves opposite, blades ovate to lanceolate-oblong. |
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| Inflorescences | narrow, 1.5–4(–5) cm wide, interrupted proximally, ± continuous distally. |
diffuse, 5–30 cm wide, primary branches ± elongate and sometimes racemoid. |
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| Flowers | calyx 3–7(–12) mm; corolla greenish white to pale or medium blue, usually dark blue- to purple-dotted and/or with a dark blue, purple, or green central stripe (except in var. idahoensis), 6–12 mm, lobes oblong-obovate-elliptic, widest near midlength, abruptly tapering to acute to short-acuminate apex; androecial corona scales present, variable among the varieties; style slender, distinct; nectaries and foveae 1 per corolla lobe, foveae distal to nectary, opening into an elliptic-oblong to lance-ovate differentiated area on the corolla surface, rim fringed all around but with fringes shorter distally, or not fringed toward distal end. |
calyx 8–17 mm; corolla pale green, dark purple-dotted, 9–20 mm, lobes oblong-obovate, apex short-acuminate; androecial corona a low fringe; style slender, distinct; nectaries and foveae 1 per corolla lobe, foveae opening distal to nectary, into a U-shaped differentiated area on the corolla surface, rim ± evenly fringed all around. |
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Frasera albicaulis |
Frasera parryi |
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| Phenology | Flowering spring–summer. | |||||||||||||||||
| Habitat | Dry, open woods, chaparral. | |||||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 100–1900 m. [300–6200 ft.] | |||||||||||||||||
| Distribution |
w United States
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CA; Mexico (disjunct in Baja California Sur)
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| Discussion | Varieties 5 (5 in the flora). Frasera albicaulis varies in vegetative and abaxial corolla puberulence and in the size and dissection of the androecial corona. It has sometimes been divided into several species and additional varieties, but, from the material available for study at the time of this writing, it appears appropriate to recognize only five varieties, although F. ackermaniae might be considered for inclusion at varietal rank. Each of these varieties has a more or less distinct geographic range, but some intergrade. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Inclusion of Arizona in the range of Frasera parryi appears to have been derived from speculation. The vernacular name Coahuila elkweed, sometimes applied to F. parryi, is inappropriate as this species is not known from Coahuila. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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| Key |
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| Synonyms | Leucocraspedum albicaule, Swertia albicaulis | Swertia parryi | ||||||||||||||||
| Name authority | Grisebach in W. J. Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 67, plate 154. (1837) | Torrey in War Department [U.S.]: Pacif. Railr. Rep. 4(5): 126. (1857) | ||||||||||||||||
| Source | FNA vol. 14. | FNA vol. 14. | ||||||||||||||||
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