Lysimachia latifolia

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Lysimachia latifolia
Trientalis borealis 1177.JPG
At Squak Mountain State Park
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Primulaceae
Genus: Lysimachia
Species:
L. latifolia
Binomial name
Lysimachia latifolia
(Hook.) Cholewa
Synonyms [1]
  • Trientalis borealis ssp. latifolia(Hook.) Hultén
  • Trientalis europaea var. latifolia(Hook.) Torr.
  • Trientalis europaea ssp. latifolia(Hook.) A.E.Murray
  • Trientalis latifoliaHook.

Lysimachia latifolia, sometimes called Trientalis latifolia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is known as starflower, [3] [4] [5] chickweed-wintergreen, [5] or Pacific starflower. [6]

Contents

Description

It is a low-growing, creeping perennial [5] [7] reaching (5 to 30 cm (2.0 to 11.8 in)). [8] The roots are tuberous, [5] [7] creeping rhizomes. [7] The stems are erect, [7] 10–20 cm (4–8 in) high. [5] It has 5 to 7 whorled, lanceolate, entire leaves distributed levelly in a single group. [7]

The white or pink flowers are borne in April or May. [5] [7] The Calyx (the collective term for sepals) is 5- to 9-parted and persistent, and the corolla (the collective term for petals) is also 5- to 9-parted, rotate, [5] [7] with a very short tube [7] and elliptic-lanceolate segments. Stamens occur in the same number as the corolla lobes (5–9) [5] [7] and are positioned opposite to them. [5] 1-3 peduncles, 1-flowered, filiform, and ebracteate. [7] The ovary is one-celled. The style (gynoecium) is filiform. [5]

Habitat

Occurs on moist, shaded [3] [7] slopes in deep, [3] light [7] soil rich in organic matter, [3] [7] particularly leaf mould. [7]

Distribution

Etymology

The former genus name Trientalis is derived from the Latin triens ('a third'), and is an allusion to the height of the plant, which is one third of a foot, or 4 in (10 cm) high. [5] [10] Latifolia is derived from the Latin words latus ('broad or wide') and folia ('leaves') and means approximately 'broad-leaved'. [10]

The alternative name "Indian potato" refers to a small subterranean swelling at the stem's base, which is not listed as being edible by modern sources. [11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Lysimachia latifolia (Hook.) Cholewa". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  2. ↑ The Plant List http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/tro-26400203
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Howell, John Thomas. "Marin Flora: Manual of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of Marin County, California", University of California, Ltd. Copyright 1949, 1970, 1985. ISBN   0520056213, pp 217
  4. 1 2 Emery, Dara E. "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants", 6th edition (printed 2011). Copyright 1988 Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. ISBN   0916436039
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Parsons, Mary Elizabeth "The Wild Flowers of California", illustrated by Margaret Warriner Buck. Published by Cunningham, Curtiss & Welch, San Francisco 1912. Copyright William Doxey 1897, copyright Mary Elizabeth Parsons 1902, 1906. (no ISBN for this edition)
  6. ↑ "When to expect the blooms?". National Park Service: Redwood. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. November 24, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Chittenden, Fred J., Synge, Patrick M., editors. 1977. "The Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening", edn. 2, Oxford University Press. ISBN   0198691068. Volume 4, pp. 2145-2146
  8. ↑ "Lysimachia latifolia". Jepson eFlora. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 USDA Plants database Trientalis latifolia
  10. 1 2 Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN   9780521685535 (paperback). pp 231, 387
  11. ↑ Whitney, Stephen (1985). Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides). New York: Knopf. p.  586. ISBN   0-394-73127-1.
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