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Siskiyou false-hellebore, Siskiyou wild hellebore

white false hellebore

Stems

1–1.5 m, grayish-hairy distally.

Leaf

blades elliptic, distal lanceolate, 10–35 × 7–21 cm, reduced distally, grayish-hairy, at least when young.

Inflorescences

paniculate, with ascending branches, 20–50 cm, grayish-hairy;

bracts ovate to lanceolate, shorter than flowers.

Capsules

oblong-ovoid, 2–3 cm, densely tomentose.

Seeds

flat, broadly winged, 10–15 mm.

Tepals

creamy white to yellow, broadly ovate, not clawed, 6–15 mm, margins strongly erose-ciliate or inner shallowly fimbriate;

gland 1, basal, green, V-shaped, elliptic;

ovary densely tomentose;

pedicel 6–15 mm.

2n

= 32.

Veratrum insolitum

Veratrum album

Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Stream banks, moist meadows, mixed-evergreen forest margins
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
nw Alaska; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The only other whitish-flowered species in North America, Veratrum californicum, which might be confused with V. insolitum, has entire, unfringed tepals, and only slightly hairy ovaries.

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

Varieties 2 (1 in the flora).

This is the only Veratrum species to occur in Europe, Asia, and North America, and it is probably more widespread in northwestern Alaska than reported. Veratrum album is highly variable in size, flower color, pedicel length, and hairiness, and it has an extensive synonymy in Eurasia. Within the species at large, a polyploid series that includes 4x, 9x, 10x, and 12x accompanies the complex variability among constituent populations (M. N. Tamura 1998).

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 74. FNA vol. 26, p. 76.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Veratrum Liliaceae > Veratrum
Sibling taxa
V. album, V. californicum, V. fimbriatum, V. viride
V. californicum, V. fimbriatum, V. insolitum, V. viride
Subordinate taxa
V. album var. oxysepalum
Name authority Jepson: Fl. Calif. 1: 266. (1921) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1044. (1753)
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