Chelone obliqua var. erwiniae

Pennell & Wherry

Bartonia 10: 19. 1929.

Common names: Erwin’s or red turtlehead
Endemic
Synonyms: Chelone obliqua subsp. erwiniae (Pennell & Wherry) Pennell
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 60. Mentioned on page 59.

Leaves: midcauline blade (60–) 80–197 mm. Flowers: caly× lobe margins not or sparsely ciliate; corolla: abaxial lobes 12–15 (–16) mm; staminode (6–) 8–12 (–14) mm. 2n = 56.


Phenology: Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat: Along streams, marshes, swamps, seeps, springs, wet meadows and woods, pond and lake margins.
Elevation: 1000–1700 m.

Discussion

Variety erwiniae is considered vulnerable to extinction in the Blue Ridge Province; threats to populations have not been assessed (NatureServe, www.natureserve.org/explorer). N. E. Stamp (1987) identified two common larval seed predators, Endothenia herbesana and Phytomyza cheloniae, which were observed to attack 25% of the capsules from a population and destroy 21% of its seeds. Insect defoliation prior to development of inflorescences reduces floral and seed output significantly in Chelone obliqua var. erwiniae and C. glabra (Stamp 1984). Severe herbivory after flower buds appeared caused decreased seed output, and plants that were defoliated twice in one year often produced no flowers (Stamp 1984). Because of severe levels of herbivory and seed predation observed in var. erwiniae, it may reproduce via seed infrequently, relying on clonal reproduction by rhizomes (Stamp 1987).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br />) +
ovate;rounded +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
villous +, pilose +  and glabrous +
1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (2.7 cm27 mm <br />0.027 m <br />) +
Allan D. Nelson +
Pennell & Wherry +
alternate +, opposite +, whorled +, helical +  and subopposite +
cuneate +
elliptic +  and elliptic to narrowly +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (19.7 cm197 mm <br />0.197 m <br />) +
not leathery +  and not fleshy +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
acuminate;acute +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
Erwin’s or red turtlehead +
paler +  and white +
spikelike +
3.8 cm38 mm <br />0.038 m <br /> (8.6 cm86 mm <br />0.086 m <br />) +
N.C. +  and S.C. +
drupe-like +
1000–1700 m. +
curved +  and straight +
pubescent +  and villous +
1 +  and 4 +
Along streams, marshes, swamps, seeps, springs, wet meadows and woods, pond and lake margins. +
persistent +  and deciduous +
serrate +  and dentate +
entire +  and subentire toothed or lobed +
2 times-serrate teeth +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (19.7 cm197 mm <br />0.197 m <br />) +
axile +  and parietal +
basal +, apical +  and superior +
tenuinucellate +, unitegmic +  and hemitropous +
campylotropous +, hemianatropous +  and anatropous +
white-bearded +  and yellow-bearded +
5 +  and 4 +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Flowering Jul–Oct. +
minute +
darker +, tan +  and light-brown +
globular +  and ovoid +
campanulate +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
purple +  and green +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (?) +  and 1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (?) +
climbing +  and scrambling +
sprawling +, creeping +  and prostrate +
glabrate +  and glabrous +
25 cm250 mm <br />0.25 m <br /> (180 cm1,800 mm <br />1.8 m <br />) +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (3.4 cm34 mm <br />0.034 m <br />) +
Chelone obliqua subsp. erwiniae +
Chelone obliqua var. erwiniae +
Chelone obliqua +
variety +
gibbous +  and not spurred +
1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +