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

Appalachian bunch-flower

Virginia bunch-flower

Rhizomes

0.6–3 × 0.5–1.2 cm;

bulbs 1–1.6 cm.

0.5–2 × 0.5–1.8 cm;

bulbs 0.6–2.5 cm.

Stems

2/3–4/5 floriferous, 0.5–1.5 m. Leaf blades broadly oblanceolate to obovate, slightly plicate, 17–35 × 4.5–12.5 cm, apex obtuse to submucronate.

1/4–1/3 floriferous, 0.6–2 m. Leaf blades linear, long-attenuate, 30–80 × 0.6–3.2 cm, apex acute.

Inflorescences

2.5–10 dm;

terminal raceme 1–4.4 dm;

secondary racemes spreading to occasionally perpendicular, 0.6–2.2(–2.4) dm;

tertiary racemes rare, sometimes replacing first flowers on lower secondaries;

bracts subulate, dark green, 2–4 mm, densely floccose abaxially, basally, and marginally.

1.3–8 dm;

terminal raceme 1–2.6 dm;

secondary racemes spreading to ascending, 0.2–1.1(–2.2) dm;

tertiary racemes infrequent;

bracts obovate to subulate, green to brown, 2–4(–6) mm, densely floccose abaxially and marginally.

Capsules

elliptic-oblong, 10–18 × 7–10 mm, glabrous.

elliptic-ovoid, 10–18 × 6–10 mm, glabrous or glabrate.

Seeds

7.5–10 × 3.5–4.5 mm (including wings).

5–8 × 2.5–4 mm (including wings).

Tepals

greenish yellow to olive green, aging to light green, narrowly rhombic to oblanceolate, 5–9 × 1.3–3 mm, base gradually attenuate to a narrow stalk, not clawed, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate;

glands obscure, whitened in age, not nectariferous;

stamens 3–4.5 mm;

filaments inserted on tepal bases, 0.4 mm from ovary base, slightly dilated basally, barely 1/3 as wide as tepals at insertion point;

anthers 0.5 mm;

ovary ovoid, glabrous;

styles 1–1.5 mm;

pedicel spreading to nearly perpendicular, 5.5–11 mm.

greenish yellow, aging dark reddish purple, ovate to obovate-oblong, 5.5–13 × 2.2–6 mm, base abruptly auriculate to hastate, clawed, margins entire, apex acute, claws 0.5–1.2(–2.5) mm;

glands yellowish green, oblong to oblong-ovate, nectariferous;

stamens 6.5–8.5 mm;

filaments inserted at or above middle of claw, 0.7–2.5 mm from ovary base, not basally dilated, equaling tepal width at insertion point;

anthers 0.9 mm;

ovary ovoid, glabrous or pubescent;

styles 1.5–3.5 mm;

pedicel spreading to ascending, 5–20 mm.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Melanthium parviflorum

Melanthium virginicum

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Rich, moist, deciduous woods on mountain slopes and crests Bogs, marshes, wet woods, savannas, meadows, along railroads
Elevation 800–2000 m (2600–6600 ft) 10–800 m (0–2600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; KY; NC; SC; TN; VA; WV
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
Discussion

The clawed tepals of Melanthium virginicum distinguish it from M. parviflorum and M. woodii, which have tepals with gradually attenuate bases.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 79. FNA vol. 26, p. 78.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Melanthium Liliaceae > Melanthium
Sibling taxa
M. latifolium, M. virginicum, M. woodii
M. latifolium, M. parviflorum, M. woodii
Synonyms Veratrum parviflorum M. dispersum, Veratrum virginicum
Name authority (Michaux) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 276. (1879) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 339. (1753)
Web links