Frasera speciosa
Frasera montana
deer's-ears, elkweed, frasera, giant frasera, monument plant
white frasera
1.
1–several, with several rosettes.
blades not white-margined;
basal spatulate or oblanceolate to elliptic-obovate, 7–50 × 1–15 cm, apex rounded to acute;
cauline leaves whorled, blade oblong-lanceolate.
blades white-margined;
basal narrowly spatulate-oblanceolate to lanceolate, 7–30 × 0.5–1.5 cm;
cauline leaves opposite, blades narrowly lanceolate to linear.
elongate, open proximally, ± dense distally.
narrow, 1.5–4 cm wide, dense.
calyx 10–25 mm;
corolla pale yellowish green, purple-dotted, occasionally suffused with purple distally, 12–25 mm, lobes elliptic-oblong to obovate, apex [obtuse or] acute to short-acuminate;
androecial corona scales 7–9 mm, deeply multicleft;
style slender, distinct;
nectaries and foveae 2 per corolla lobe, foveae narrowly elliptic, opening directly adaxial to nectary, each opening with a ± even fringe all around, the pair opening into a green but not rimmed area on the corolla surface.
calyx 3–6(–8) mm;
corolla white to cream, unmarked, 5–9 mm, lobes elliptic-ovate, apex rounded, apiculate;
androecial corona scales obovate-oblong, 1–2 mm, margins nearly entire to deeply lacerate or fringelike;
style slender, distinct;
nectaries and foveae 1 per lobe, foveae opening into an elliptic-obovate to suborbiculate differentiated area on the corolla surface, rim ± evenly fringed all around.
= 78.
Frasera speciosa
Frasera montana
Swertia radiata var. maderensis Henrickson, endemic to Mexico, is conspecific with Frasera speciosa, but the necessary combination in Frasera has not been published. If that is done, our material will become var. speciosa.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Frasera montana is endemic to the mountains of western Idaho.
Frasera montana appears to be closely related to F. albicaulis and might be treated as another variety of that species, but its proportionately wide corolla lobes with rounded rather than acute to acuminate apices, reminiscent of the petals of apple blossoms, give the flowers of this attractive species a distinctive appearance. The differentiated areas on the corolla surface into which the foveae open are elliptic to nearly round and are proportionately shorter than those of any variety of F. albicaulis. Frasera montana might most readily be confused with F. albicaulis var. idahoensis, which likewise usually has unspotted corollas, but it can be distinguished not only by the shape of its corolla lobes but also by the differentiated areas on its corolla lobes with rims that are more or less evenly long-fringed all around; those of all varieties of F. albicaulis are distally more shallowly or not fringed. The androecial corona scales of both species are variable, but those of F. montana are generally cleft more or less longitudinally, if at all, whereas those of F. albicaulis var. idahoensis (but not all varieties of F. albicaulis) usually bear lateral as well as terminal lobes or fringes.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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