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Cascade grass-of-parnassus, San Bernardino grass of parnassus

Photo is of parent taxon

San Bernardino grass-of-parnassus

Habit Herbs with caudices.
Stems

15–40 cm.

Leaves

basal in rosettes;

petiole 1–12 cm;

blade (of larger leaves) ovate-orbiculate to elliptic-ovate, 15–60 × 7–50 mm, base cuneate, rounded, or weakly cordate, apex rounded;

cauline usually on middle to distal 1/2 of stem, rarely absent.

blade (of larger leaves) 7–25(–35) mm wide.

Flowers

sepals reflexed in fruit, elliptic or oblong-lanceolate to ovate, 4–7 mm, margins sometimes scarious, to 0.1 mm wide, usually entire, rarely minutely denticulate distally, apex rounded;

petals 5–7-veined, oblanceolate to obovate or elliptic, 8–15 × 3.3–9.8 mm, length 2 times sepals, base cuneate, margins fimbriate proximally;

stamens 6–9 mm;

anthers 1.5–2.2 mm;

staminodes scalelike proximally, distally divided into 5–15 gland-tipped filaments, 3.5–6 mm, shorter than stamens, apical glands globose, 0.2–0.4 mm;

ovary green.

sepals 1.8–2.6(–4) mm wide;

larger petals 3.3–5.2(–7) mm wide, longer fimbriae (3.3–)3.5–6.5 mm.

Capsules

10 mm.

Parnassia cirrata

Parnassia cirrata var. cirrata

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Marshes, wet meadows, streamsides.
Elevation 1000–3000 m. (3300–9800 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA; BC; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Durango)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Variety cirrata occurs in the flora area only in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains.

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

Key
1. Larger petals 3.3–5.2(–7) mm wide, longer fimbriae (3.3–)3.5–6.5 mm; s California.
var. cirrata
1. Larger petals (4–)5–10 mm wide, longer fimbriae 1–3(–3.5) mm; British Columbia, n California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington.
var. intermedia
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 115. FNA vol. 12, p. 116.
Parent taxa Celastraceae > Parnassia Celastraceae > Parnassia > Parnassia cirrata
Sibling taxa
P. asarifolia, P. caroliniana, P. fimbriata, P. glauca, P. grandifolia, P. kotzebuei, P. palustris, P. parviflora
P. cirrata var. intermedia
Subordinate taxa
P. cirrata var. cirrata, P. cirrata var. intermedia
Name authority Piper: Erythea 7: 128. (1899) unknown
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