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Nuttall's death camas

mountain death camas, zigadène élégant

Habit Plants 3–7.5 dm, from bulbs; bulbs not clumped, tunicate, ovoid, 15–40 × 9–35 mm. Plants 2–8 dm, from bulbs; bulbs not clumped, tunicate, narrowly ovoid, 1.5–3 × 1–2 cm.
Stems

without persistent leaf bases.

Leaves

proximal blades 15–45 cm × 3–15 mm.

proximal blades 10–30 cm × 3–15 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.

loosely racemose to paniculate, 10–50-flowered, with 1–4 branches, 0.9–2.5 dm × 3–6 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 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.

Capsules

8–16 × 3–8 mm.

narrowly conic, 10–20 mm.

2n

= 32.

= 32.

Zigadenus nuttallii

Zigadenus elegans

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Tallgrass prairie, calcareous glades, rocky hillsides Moist grasslands, river and lake shores, bogs in coniferous forests
Elevation 500–1200 m (1600–3900 ft) 0–3600 m (0–11800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; KS; MO; OK; TX
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from FNA
AK; AZ; CO; IA; ID; IL; IN; MD; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

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.)

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. brevibracteatus, Z. densus, 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 Anticlea alpina, Anticlea chlorantha, Anticlea coloradensis, Anticlea elegans, Anticlea glauca, Anticlea gracilenta, Anticlea longa, Anticlea mohinorensis, Melanthium glaucum, Z. alpinus, Z. chloranthus, Z. coloradensis, Z. dilatatus, Z. elegans subsp. glaucus, Z. elegans var. glaucus, Z. glaucus, Z. gracilentus, Z. longus, Z. mohinorensis, Z. washakie
Name authority (A. Gray) S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 343. (1871) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 241. (1814)
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