GRASS-OF-PARNASSUS FAMILY 347 



Family 58. PARNASSIACEAE. 



Grass-of-Parnassus Family. 



Glabrous scapose herbs, with short perennial rootstocks. Leaves all basal, 

 petioled and entire or often with a single sessile leaf on the scape. Flowers solitary, 

 terminal, white or yellow. Calyx deeply 5-lobed, the short tube free or adnate to 

 the ovary. Petals 5, spreading, with a cluster of gland-tipped staminodia at the base, 

 these distinct or united below to form a scale. Stamens 5, alternating with the petals. 

 Ovary superior or partly inferior ; styles short or none ; stigmas commonly 4 ; ovules 

 numerous. Capsule 1-celled, with 3-4 projecting parietal placentae, loculicidally 

 3-4-valved. Seeds numerous, winged ; endosperm none ; embryo straight. 



A single genus with about 25 species, natives of the north temperate and subarctic regions. 



1. PARNASSIA [Tourn.] L. Sp, PL 273. 1753. 



Characters of the family. [Name for Mount Parnassus.] 



Besides the following, about 10 other species occur in the Rocky Mountains and east- 

 ern North America. Type species, Parnassia palustris L. 



Petals entire; 3-7-nerved. 



Petals fimbriate on the lateral margins at least toward the base. 

 Staminodia with 3 or rarely 5 short lobes. 



Staminodia with 7-12 filiform gland-tipped filaments about 2 mm. long. 

 Leaves ovate to reniform, long-petioled. 

 Leaves oval, short-petioled. 



1. Parnassia californica (A. Gray) Greene. California Grass-of-Parnassus. 



Fig. 2219. 



Parnassia palustris var. californica A. Gray, Bot. Calif. 1 : 202. 1876. 

 Parnassia californica Greene, Pittonia 2: 102. 1890. 



Rootstock short. Basal leaves narrowly to broadly ovate, cuneate at base, sometimes abruptly 

 so, 2-4 cm. long; petioles 2-15 cm. long; scape 3-6 dm. high; bract ovate, 5-10 mm. long, 

 sessile, above the middle of the scape, sometimes wanting ; sepals 4-6 mm. long, oval to oblong ; 

 petals 10-15 mm. long, broadly oval to suborbicular, 3-7-veined; filaments subulate, about 8 mm. 

 long; staminodial scales with 15-24 gland-tipped capillary filaments. 



Wet places, Canadian and Transition Zones; Josephine County, Oregon, south to San Benito County in the 

 Coast Ranges, and to the southern Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Mountains, California. Type locality: 

 Sierra Nevada, California. Aug. -Sept. 



2. Parnassia fimbriata Konig. Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus. Fig. 2220. 



Parnassia fimbriata Konig, Ann. Bot. 1: 391. 1804. 



Rootstock short. Basal leaves reniform to reniform-cordate, 2-4 cm. wide ; petioles 5-15 cm. 

 long; scape 2-3 dm. high; bract near the middle of the scape, cordate-clasping, 5-15 mm. long; 

 sepals elliptic to oval, 5-6 mm. long, often with short cilia-like teeth ; petals obovate, with a 

 more or less distinct claw, 10-12 mm. long, fimbriate on the lateral margins ; filaments filiform, 

 4-5 mm. long ; staminodial scales rather fleshy, with 5-9 short lobes ; capsule 8-10 mm. long. 



Springs and bogs, Canadian and Hudsonian Zones; Alaska to the Siskiyou and Warner Mountains, Cali- 

 fornia, east to Alberta, Colorado, and Utah. Type locality: Alaska. July-Sept. 



3. Parnassia intermedia Rydb. Humboldt Grass-of-Parnassus. Fig. 2221. 



Parnassia intermedia Rydb. N. Amer. Fl. 22: 78. 1905. 



Basal leaves broadly ovate-subcordate to reniform, 15-35 mm. broad; petioles 5-15 cm. long; 

 scape 3-4 dm. long; bract 8-12 mm. long, ovate, rounded or subcordate at base, sessile; sepals 

 oblong-elliptic, about 6 mm. long, entire; petals elliptic to narrowly obovate, about 10 mm. 

 long, fimbriate on the lateral margins, with about 5 principal veins ; filaments filiform-subulate, 

 6-7 mm. long; staminodial scales with about 7-9 filiform gland-tipped filaments; capsule about 

 1 cm. long, ovoid. 



Wet places. Boreal Zones; Mount Hood to Crater Lake. Oregon, and the East Humboldt Mountains, Nevada. 

 Type locality: East Humboldt Mountains, Nevada. July-Aug. 



4. Parnassia cirrata Piper. San Bernardino Grass-of-Parnassus. Fig. 2222. 



Parnassia cirrata Piper, Erythea 7: 128. 1899. 



Basal leaves ovate, narrowed at the base, 1-2 cm. long ; petioles 2-5 cm. long ; scape 2-4 dm. 

 high, bract ovate to lanceolate, 5-10 mm. long; sepals lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 6-7 mm. 

 long ; petals oblong-obovate, about 1 cm. long, fimbriate with long hairs on the lateral margins ; 

 filaments subulate, about equaling the anthers ; staminodial scales with about 12 filiform gland- 

 tipped filaments. 



Mountain bogs and springs, Transition Zone; Upper Sacramento River, San Gabriel and San Bernardino 

 Mountains, California. Type locality : San Bernardino Mountains. July-Sept. 



