Caltha leptosepala

de Candolle

Syst. Nat. 1: 310. 1817.

EndemicIllustrated
Synonyms: Caltha biflora de Candolle Caltha biflora subsp. howellii (Huth) Abrams Caltha biflora var. rotundifolia (Huth) C. L. Hitchcock Caltha howellii (de Candolle) W. Weber Caltha leptosepala var. rotundifolia Huth Caltha leptosepala var. sulfurea C. L. Hitchcock Caltha uniflora Psychropila leptosepala
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 3.

Stems leafless or with 1 leaf, erect. Basal leaves: blade oblong-ovate to orbiculate-reniform, largest 1.5-11.5 (-15) × 1-13cm, margins entire or crenate to dentate. Inflorescences 1-2 (-4) -flowered. Flowers 15-40 mm diam.; sepals white to yellow (abaxially bluish), 8.5-23 mm. Follicles 4-15, spreading, short-stipitate or sessile, linear-oblong; bodies 10-20 × 3-4.5 mm; style and stigma straight or curved, 0.5-1.8 mm. Seeds elliptic, 1.9-2.5 mm. 2n=48,96.


Phenology: Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat: Open, wet, subalpine and alpine marshes, wet seepages
Elevation: 750-3900 m

Distribution

V3 893-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Yukon, Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.Mex., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Caltha leptosepala is morphologically complex, and a number of segregate taxa have been described. Plants are most commonly assigned to two species, however. Caltha leptosepala in strict sense is found in the Rocky Mountains of Arizona and New Mexico north to Alaska and is characterized by longer-than-broad leaves with small, nonoverlapping basal lobes, solitary-flowered inflorescences, and sessile follicles. Plants in the Coast Ranges of central California north to the coastal islands of southern Alaska, distinguished by broader-than-long leaves with large, overlapping basal lobes, 2-flowered inflorescences, and stipitate follicles, have been called C.biflora. My comparison of specimens from the Rocky Mountains and the Coast Ranges indicated that no clear distinction could be made (table 1). While plants are often distinctive in the southern part of their range, a continuous intergradation between the two extremes exists over much of their range.

Tables

Table 1. Morphologic comparison of Caltha leptosepala from the Rocky Mountains and Coast Ranges.

Rocky Mountains* C. leptosepala in strict sense Coast Ranges** C. bicolor in strict sense
Leaf (L:W ratio) 0.8-2.2(-3.1) 0.4-1.5
Flower number 2-4 1-4
Stipe (mm) 0-3.2 0-2.7

*Including Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, and Montana.

**Including British Columbia, California, Oregon, and Washington.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Caltha leptosepala"
Bruce A. Ford +
de Candolle +
cuneate +, truncate +  and cordate +
curved +  and straight +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
11.5 cm115 mm <br />0.115 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (11.5 cm115 mm <br />0.115 m <br />) +
oblong-ovate;orbiculate-reniform +
largest +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (13 cm130 mm <br />0.13 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
globose;cylindric +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
1-6-flowered +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br />) +
nearly +  and sessile +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
750-3900 m +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
showy +  and inconspicuous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br />) +
sessile +  and short-stipitate +
linear-oblong +
stipitate +, sessile +  and aggregate +
linear-oblong +  and ellipsoid +
Open, wet, subalpine and alpine marshes, wet seepages +
axillary +  and terminal +
oblong-ovate +  and orbiculate-reniform or cordate +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
cauline +  and basal +
palmate +  and pinnate +
crenate;dentate +
distinct +
conspicuous +
spurred +, funnel--shaped +, cup-shaped +  and plane +
reduced +
Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Aug). +
5 +  and 55 +
not arillate +  and stalked +
rugulose +
0.19 cm1.9 mm <br />0.0019 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
white;yellow +
not persistent +
distinct +
3 +  and 6 +
oval-orbiculate +  and narrowly obovate +
0.85 cm8.5 mm <br />0.0085 m <br /> (2.3 cm23 mm <br />0.023 m <br />) +
not +  and veined +
Endemic +  and Illustrated +
with 1 leaf +  and leafless +
curved +  and straight +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
curved +  and straight +
persistent +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
Caltha biflora +, Caltha biflora subsp. howellii +, Caltha biflora var. rotundifolia +, Caltha howellii +, Caltha leptosepala var. rotundifolia +, Caltha leptosepala var. sulfurea +, Caltha uniflora +  and Psychropila leptosepala +
Caltha leptosepala +
species +
herbaceous +  and woody +