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Nuttall's death camas

desert death camas

Habit Plants 3–7.5 dm, from bulbs; bulbs not clumped, tunicate, ovoid, 15–40 × 9–35 mm. Plants 3–6 dm, from bulbs; bulbs not clumped, tunicate, ovoid, 18–40 × 9–35 mm.
Leaves

proximal blades 15–45 cm × 3–15 mm.

proximal blades 10–30 cm × 3–8 mm.

Inflorescences

usually paniculate, 20–60-flowered, with 1–8 branches, narrow, terminal raceme pyramidal in early anthesis, 3–30 × 3–7 cm, proximal branches 1/10–1/2 length of entire inflorescence, ascending at 10°–60° angle.

usually paniculate, 20–80-flowered, with 1–8 branches, terminal raceme 10–45 × 3–8 cm.

Flowers

perianth hypogynous, campanulate, 10–15 mm diam.;

tepals persistent in fruit, cream colored, ovate, 3–8 × 1–4 mm, outer unclawed or rarely clawed to 5 mm, apex usually obtuse;

gland 1, obovate, distal margins obscure, thin;

filaments straight, usually equaling tepals, occasionally longer, thickened proximally;

pedicel usually ascending in fruit, occasionally perpendicular to stem, 10–35 mm, bracts green, somewhat falcate, 3–20 mm.

perianth hypogynous, 10–20 mm diam.;

tepals persistent in fruit, cream colored, elliptic, 4–7 × 2–5 mm, outer not clawed;

gland 1, obovate, distal margins evident;

filaments thin and curved, shorter than tepals;

pedicel usually perpendicular to stem in fruit, 12–40 mm, bracts green, 2–8 mm.

Capsules

8–16 × 3–8 mm.

8–16 × 5–10 mm.

2n

= 32.

= 22.

Zigadenus nuttallii

Zigadenus brevibracteatus

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Tallgrass prairie, calcareous glades, rocky hillsides Creosote bush scrub, Joshua tree woodlands, sandy areas of the Mojave and Colorado deserts
Elevation 500–1200 m (1600–3900 ft) 600–1500 m (2000–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; KS; MO; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 86. FNA vol. 26.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Zigadenus Liliaceae > Zigadenus
Sibling taxa
Z. brevibracteatus, Z. densus, Z. elegans, Z. exaltatus, Z. fontanus, Z. fremontii, Z. glaberrimus, Z. micranthus, Z. mogollonensis, Z. paniculatus, Z. vaginatus, Z. venenosus, Z. virescens
Z. densus, Z. elegans, Z. exaltatus, Z. fontanus, Z. fremontii, Z. glaberrimus, Z. micranthus, Z. mogollonensis, Z. nuttallii, Z. paniculatus, Z. vaginatus, Z. venenosus, Z. virescens
Synonyms Amianthium nuttallii, Toxicoscordion nuttallii, Toxicoscordion texense, Z. texensis Z. fremontii var. brevibracteatus, Toxicoscordion brevibracteatus
Name authority (A. Gray) S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 343. (1871) (M. E. Jones) H. M. Hall: Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 6: 165. (1915)
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