Smithiastrum prenanthoides
| Smithiastrum prenanthoides | |
|---|---|
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| S. prenanthoides flowering in the Santa Cruz Mountains | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Campanulaceae |
| Genus: | Smithiastrum |
| Species: | S. prenanthoides
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| Binomial name | |
| Smithiastrum prenanthoides | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Smithiastrum prenanthoides, commonly known as the California harebell, is a perennial flowering plant in the Campanulaceae.[1][2] It was formerly classified as a member of either Campanula or Asyneuma and was re-split following the discovery that genera in the family are polyphyletic. S. prenanthoides belongs to one of several small genera in the Campanulaceae native to California and grows in montane coniferous forests.[3]
Description
Smithiastrum prenanthoides is a perennial herb with an erect branching stem 0.6–0.9 m high. The stem is slightly puberulent. The slender leaves range from 10–60 mm in length and usually have a toothed margin and a pointed apex. The leaves are attached to the stem by very short petioles, usually less than 5 mm long, and the upper leaves on the stem are usually sessile. They are wider toward the base with two small teeth on each side.[4][5]
The nodding flowers are blue-purple and appear on a panicle in groups of 3–5. The pedicel is variable in length, between 6–20 mm. The sepals are spreading to reflexed and the calyx is fused into a obconic tube covering less than half the length of the corolla. The corolla, fused at the base, is divided into 5 slender petals that are distinctly recurved at their tips. The stamens are 6 mm long with ciliate base. The ovary is 2.5–5 mm in diameter and hemispheric. The style, 15–18 mm long, is noticeably exserted beyond the sepals and petals and may be slightly curved. It is likewise blue and the distal half is papillate. The stigma is clavate and has 3 short curved divisions.[4][5][2]
Smithiastrum prenanthoides blooms in June and July. The fruit is a hemispheric dehiscent capsule with prominent ribbing. The pores are distributed at or below the middle of the capsule. The oblong seeds are 2 mm long.[5]
Taxonomy
Smithiastrum prenanthoides was originally described as Campanula prenanthoides in 1855 by Elias Durand. Later, in 1945, it was transferred to the genus Asyneuma under the name A. prenanthoides by Rogers McVaugh. Finally, in 2020, it was transferred to a newly erected genus, Smithiastrum, by Nancy Morin.[1][3]
Smithiastrum prenanthoides was split from Campanula and Asyneuma in order to resolve a previously polyphyletic grouping of genera in the Campanulaceae. It now belongs to one of several small genera in the Campanulaceae, such as Eastwoodiella or Ravenella, native to California. The genus name honors James Payne Smith, Jr., a California botanist. The latter half of the generic epithet, astrum, denotes a star in Latin and refers to the shape of the flowers.[3] The specific epithet, prenanthoides, refers to the fact that the raceme just prior to flowering closely resembles the genus Prenanthes.[3][4]
The diploid number of Smithiastrum prenanthoides is 2n = 16.[5]
Distribution and habitat
Smithiastrum prenanthoides is native to California and Oregon. It grows in the temperate coniferous forests of the Klamath Ranges, Cascade Range, Coastal Ranges, and part of the Sierra Nevadas. It is associated with redwood forest, yellow pine forest, red fir forest, and mixed evergreen forest. It is found at elevations of 50–2000 m.[5][6]
Gallery
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Detailed closeup of individual flowering in Redwood National and State Parks -
Vegetative habit of S. prenanthoides
References
- ^ a b c d "Smithiastrum prenanthoides". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ a b "ACKNOWLEDGMENTS", Wildflowers of California, University of California Press, pp. xi–xii, 2019-12-31, retrieved 2023-08-17
- ^ a b c d Morin, N.R. (2020). "Taxonomic changes in North American Campanuloideae (Campanulaceae)" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 2020 (49): 1–46.
- ^ a b c Durand, Elias (1855). "Campanulaceae". Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 3 (2): 93–94 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ a b c d e "Asyneuma prenanthoides". ucjeps.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ "Asyneuma prenanthoides Calflora". www.calflora.org. Retrieved 2023-08-17.