Scoliopus bigelovii is a species of flowering plant in the lily family (Liliaceae) known by several common names, including California fetid adderstongue, Bigelow's adderstongue, slinkpod, and brownies. It is native to California, where it is known from the Santa Cruz Mountains, parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and North Coast Ranges. It has also been collected just over the border in Oregon.[1] It occurs in old-growth forests in the understory of redwoods. It grows in mossy, moist places, often in shade.
This herbaceousperennial, one of two species of Scoliopus, grows from a rhizome and a small section of underground stem. The above-ground parts include two large leaves each up to 24cm ×10cm (9.4in ×3.9in). There are sometimes 3 or 4 leaves. They have several longitudinal veins and are green with darker green or purplish mottling. The inflorescence is actually an umbel of flowers, but the peduncle is mostly underground with 3 to 12 flower-bearing pedicels rising above the surface, appearing separate. The flower has three flat, spreading, pointed oval or lance-shaped sepals and three narrower, linear or fingerlike petals. The sepals are pale or greenish and striped or streaked with dark purple. The flower has a disagreeable scent.[2] The three short stamens are located at the bases of the sepals. The style has three long, often curving branches. The fruit is a capsule. As it matures, the pedicel that bears it twists or droops down to bring it in contact with the substrate.[3]
Distribution and habitat
S. bigelovii is an understory species that grows in the shade of redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees in forests along the California coast. Other associated species include tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), big leaf maple (Acer macrophylum), California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), all of which contribute to the unique micro-habitat in which this plant lives.[4] A study by Hanover, A., & Russell, W. (2018) found that S. bigelovii is especially sensitive to forest management activities such as logging and selective harvesting, citing evidence of population decline in areas that have been disturbed.[4]
The genus Scoliopus is believed to have emerged around 5 million years ago during the early Pilocene epoch.[6]
The taxonomic authority of S. bigelovii belongs to John Torrey (author abbreviation Torr.), who, in collaboration with John Milton Bigelow, collected and created the original type specimen during the Whipple Railroad Route Expedition in 1853-1854.[7] This species has been known to science for over a century, tracing back to 1857 where it was first published in Volume 5 of the 12-part series “Reports of explorations and surveys: to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, made under the direction of the Secretary of War 4”.[8]
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