Zigadenus elegans
Zigadenus densus
mountain death camas, zigadène élégant
black snakeroot, crow poison, Osceola's plume, pine-barren death camas
without persistent leaf bases.
proximal blades 10–30 cm × 3–15 mm.
proximal blades 10–50 cm × 2–12 mm.
loosely racemose to paniculate, 10–50-flowered, with 1–4 branches, 0.9–2.5 dm × 3–6 cm.
racemose or paniculate, 40–100-flowered, cylindrical, 4–15 × 2.5–5 cm.
perianth perigynous, rotate to rotate-campanulate, 15–20 mm diam.;
tepals persistent in fruit, cream colored to greenish, ovate, 7–12 × 4–5 mm, somewhat narrowed at base;
gland 1, obcordate;
pedicel erect at anthesis, 1–2.3 cm, bracts often tinged with purple or pink, ovate, 5–20 mm.
perianth hypogynous, 5–10 mm diam.;
tepals persistent in fruit, cream colored to greenish, ovate to elliptic, 3–5 mm, narrowed but not sharply contracted basally;
gland 1, obscure;
pedicel 1–2 cm, bracts often tinged with red, lanceolate, 2–12 mm.
narrowly conic, 10–20 mm.
narrowly conic, 10–20 mm.
= 32.
Zigadenus elegans
Zigadenus densus
Zigadenus elegans has been treated previously as comprising two varieties, or two subspecies (W. B. Zomlefer 1997b). The western var. or subsp. elegans tends to be a smaller plant with a raceme or a 1–2-branched panicle and glabrous, sometimes glaucous leaves and stems; while the eastern var. or subsp. glaucus tends to be a larger plant with a paniculate inflorescence and glaucous leaves and stems. Because there is considerable evidence of intergradation between the two entities toward the middle of the range, including overlapping flowering times, they have not been formally distinguished here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
As treated here, Zigadenus densus includes Z. leimanthoides (W. W. McDearman 1984). These two entities are distinct in some parts of the range, but intergrade in size, inflorescence morphology, and flowering time in the Gulf coast region. The size of the plant (determined by age and environment) seems to affect inflorecence morphology, smaller plants bearing simple racemes and larger plants developing compound ones. Plants in more mountainous habitats develop paniculate inflorescences. Recognition of the two taxa at the varietal level may eventually be desirable.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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