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American false hellebore, corn lily, green false-hellebore, Indian hellebore, Indian-poke, showy false hellebore, vérâtre verti

Siskiyou false-hellebore, Siskiyou wild hellebore

Stems

0.5–2 m, nearly glabrous to densely tomentose.

1–1.5 m, grayish-hairy distally.

Leaves

ovate to elliptic, reduced distally, to lanceolate, 15–35 × 8–20 cm, glabrous to densely hairy, especially on abaxial surface.

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

Inflorescences

paniculate, with ascending to spreading or distinctly drooping (particularly in w North America) branches, 30–70 cm, tomentose;

bracts lanceolate, shorter than flowers.

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

bracts ovate to lanceolate, shorter than flowers.

Capsules

oblong-ovoid, 2–3 cm, glabrous.

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

Seeds

flat, broadly winged, 8–10 mm.

flat, broadly winged, 10–15 mm.

Tepals

deep green to yellowish, lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, narrowed to short, broad claw, 5–12 mm, tomentose adaxially, margins of both whorls or at least inner obviously erose-serrulate;

gland 1, basal, dark green or yellowish green, V-shaped;

ovary glabrous;

pedicel 2–10 mm.

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 viride

Veratrum insolitum

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Veratrum viride consists of two clearly related, disjunct populations, one in eastern and one in western North America. These were clearly separated by continental glaciation and have subsequently evolved in isolation. Nonetheless they show many critical features in common, and individual plants from either region occasionally show one or more features common to plants in the other. The two populations have been variously classified as separate species, varieties, or subspecies, or as a single taxon. We have chosen to recognize two distinctive, if subtle, varieties.

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

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.)

Key
1. Inflorescence branches ascending to spreading, only rarely drooping; flowers spreading to rarely erect; east of 85th meridian.
var. viride
1. Inflorescence branches spreading to commonly drooping; flowers erect; west of 110th meridian.
var. eschscholzianum
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 74. FNA vol. 26, p. 74.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Veratrum Liliaceae > Veratrum
Sibling taxa
V. album, V. californicum, V. fimbriatum, V. insolitum
V. album, V. californicum, V. fimbriatum, V. viride
Subordinate taxa
V. viride var. eschscholzianum, V. viride var. viride
Name authority Aiton: Hort. Kew. 3: 422. (1789) Jepson: Fl. Calif. 1: 266. (1921)
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