Zigadenus vaginatus
Zigadenus densus
sheath death camas
black snakeroot, crow poison, Osceola's plume, pine-barren death camas
with persistent leaf bases proximally.
proximal blades 25–40 cm × 5–12 mm.
proximal blades 10–50 cm × 2–12 mm.
paniculate, 15–30-flowered, with 1–4 branches, 1.5–3 dm × 3–6 cm, proximal branches 7–8 cm.
racemose or paniculate, 40–100-flowered, cylindrical, 4–15 × 2.5–5 cm.
perianth perigynous, rotate to rotate-campanulate, 10–15 mm diam.;
tepals white, ovate, 3–6 × 3–4 mm, somewhat narrowed at base, apex broadly rounded;
gland 1, obcordate, thick;
pedicel ascending at anthesis, 1–1.5 cm, bracts often streaked with purple, ovate, 3–6 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, 7–8 mm.
narrowly conic, 10–20 mm.
= 32.
Zigadenus vaginatus
Zigadenus densus
Of conservation concern.
(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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