Parnassia caroliniana |
Parnassia parviflora |
|
---|---|---|
Carolina grass of parnassus |
small flower parnassia, small-flower grass-of-parnassus |
|
Habit | Herbs with horizontal creeping rhizomes. | Herbs with caudices. |
Stems | 20–60 cm. |
2–35 cm. |
Leaves | basal 1–2 per node on rhizomes; petiole 8–22 cm; blade (of larger leaves) ovate to suborbiculate, 20–75 × 15–70 mm, longer than to ca. as long as wide, base rounded to subcordate, apex obtuse; cauline on proximal 1/2 of stem or absent. |
basal in rosettes; petiole 0.4–2 cm; blade (of larger leaves) ovate to oblong, 6–35 × 5–25 mm, base cuneate to subcordate, apex rounded to subacute; cauline on proximal 1/2 to middle of stem. |
Flowers | sepals reflexed in fruit, oblong to oblong-elliptic, 3.5–5 mm, margins hyaline, 0.2 mm wide, entire, apex obtuse; petals 7–12-veined, broadly ovate, 14–20 × 9–12 mm, length 3–4 times sepals, base rounded, margins entire or undulate; stamens 7–11 mm; anthers 1.8–3 mm; staminodes 3-fid almost to base, gland-tipped, 9–14 mm, longer than stamens, apical glands lanceolate, 1–1.7 mm; ovary white. |
sepals spreading in fruit, linear-lanceolate to oblong or elliptic-oblong, 3–6 mm, margins not hyaline, entire, apex obtuse; petals 5–13-veined, oblong to elliptic, 3.5–10 × 4–6 mm, length 1.1–1.5 times sepals, base rounded to cuneate, margins entire; stamens (2–)4–7 mm; anthers 1–1.6 mm; staminodes obovate, divided distally into 5–7(–9) gland-tipped filaments, (2–)3.5–5 mm, shorter than stamens, apical glands suborbicular, 0.2–0.3 mm; ovary green. |
Capsules | 10–15 mm. |
7–10 mm. |
2n | = 36. |
|
Parnassia caroliniana |
Parnassia parviflora |
|
Phenology | Flowering late summer–fall. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Wet pine savannas, seepage slopes, streamhead ecotones, all subject to recurring fires. | Wet, calcareous shores, meadows, fens, seepy scree slopes. |
Elevation | 10–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) | 10–2900 m. (0–9500 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL; NC; SC
|
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MI; MT; ND; NV; SD; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NL; NS; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK
|
Discussion | Parnassia caroliniana is rare throughout its range; it is listed as endangered in Florida and North Carolina. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Parnassia parviflora has been included in P. palustris by some authors. Small-flowered plants of P. palustris usually have the staminodes divided into about nine filaments distally and the anthers exceed 1.5 mm, but rarely some plants cannot be clearly assigned to one or other of these species. In Nunavut, P. parviflora is known only from Akimiski Island in James Bay. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 117. | FNA vol. 12, p. 114. |
Parent taxa | Celastraceae > Parnassia | Celastraceae > Parnassia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. palustris var. parviflora | |
Name authority | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 184. (1803) | de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 1: 320. (1824) |
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