338 PRIMULACEAE 



11. DODECATHEON L. Sp. PL 144. 1753. 



Glabrous or glandular-puberulent, scapose perennials, with a short rootstock produc- 

 ing fleshy-fibrous roots. Leaves basal, narrowly oblanceolate to broadly obovate, entire or 

 repand. Flowers in an involucrate umbel, terminating the scape, 4-5-merous. Calyx 

 persistent, deeply lobed, the lobes reflexed in flower, erect after anthesis. Corolla deeply 

 lobed, the lobes imbricate in the bud, strongly reflexed in flower. Stamens exserted, the 

 filaments short and broad, often united into a tube ; anthers attached at base, mostly erect 

 and approximate. Pistil 1, with a single style and a capitate stigma; ovary 1-celled; 

 ovules many, half-anatropous. Capsule partially 5-valved, the valves splitting into the 

 base of the style, or the capsule circumscissile a short distance below the style and then 

 splitting into valves, thus leaving the tips of the valves truncate instead of acutely pointed. 

 Seeds numerous. [Greek, meaning twelve gods, the name used by Pliny and Theophrastus 

 for a different plant.] 



A North American genus of approximately 30 species, all but the type species inhabit the western part of 

 the continent. Type species, Dodecatheon Meadia L. 



Anthers sessile or subsessile, filaments when present not over 0.5 mm. long, distinct. 



Leaves sharply dentate, the petioles slender, much exceeding the blades; flowers white. 



1. D. dentatum. 



Leaves entire or callous-denticulate, more commonly shallowly crenate with the callosity in the sinus; flowers 

 rose-purple. 

 Leaves oblanceolate or linear-oblanceolate, tapering at the base to a broad winged petiole; capsule ovoid; 

 flowers 4-5-merous. 

 Plants more or less glandular-puberulent at least on the pedicels and calyces; leaves oblanceolate, 

 15-40 cm. long. 2. D.Jeffreyi. 



Plants (usually) glabrous; leaves linear to linear-oblanceolate, S-IS cm. long. 



3. D. alpinum. 



Leaves ovate to spatulate, abruptly narrowed at the base to a rather slender elongated petiole; capsule 

 cyiindric; flowers Smerous. 4. D. conjugens. 



Anthers borne on filaments, these united into a tube 1-3 mm. long. 



Capsule dehiscing from the apex, splitting into the base of the style, the valves thus acute. 



Leaves and stems glandular-pubescent; filament-tube yellow. 5. D. Cusickii. 



Leaves glabrous, upper part of stems and pedicels often puberulent; filament-tube yellow in the typical 

 species, dark purple in the variety. 6. D. pauciflortim. 



Capsule circumscissile a short distance below the style, thus leaving the apex of the valves truncate. 

 Filament-tube slender, dark purple; anthers linear-lanceolate acute. 



Leaves and stems puberulent. 7. D. poeticum. 



Leaves glabrous. 



Leaves narrowly oblanceolate or spatulate; pedicels and calyces glabrous; capsule subcylindric. 



8. D. subalpinum. 



Leaves ovate to orbicular-ovate; pedicels and calyces more or less glandular-puberulent except 

 in variety Hansenii; capsule ovoid. 9. D. Hendersonii. 



Filament-tube stout, nearly as broad as long; anthers oblong, rounded or obtuse at apex. 



Plants rarely over 5-10 cm. tall in the typical species, often 15-20 cm. in the variety; anthers 

 2-3 mm. long, upper part of the connective dark purple, the base broad, much wrinkled, 

 often yellow. 10. D. patulum. 



Plants mostly 20-30 cm. tall; anthers 4-6 mm. long, connective cream-yellow and the pollen-sacs 

 with a dorsal purple stripe in the typical species, but in the variety, connLCtivc dark purple 

 and the pollen-sacs cream-yellow throughout. 11. D. Clevclandii. 



1. Dodecatheon dentatum Hook. White Shooting Star. Fig. 3763. 



Dodecatheon dentatum Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer. 2: 119. 1838. 

 Dodecatheon Meadia var. latilobum A. Gray, Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 2^: 58. 1878. 

 Dodecatheon frigidum var. dentatum A. Gray, Bot. Gaz. 11: 234. 1886. 

 Dodecatheon latilobum Elmer ex R. Knuth, Pflanzenreich 42^': 239. 1905. 



Plants glabrous throughout, with slender rootstocks and mostly elongated slender roots. 

 Leaves 5-50 cm. long including the petiole, the blades ovate and acute to oval and obtuse, 2.5-7 

 cm. long, 2-5 cm. broad, dentate to denticulate, thin, abruptly narrowed to a comparatively 

 slender petiole as long as or much longer than the blade; scapes 15-30 cm. high; umbels 1-6- 

 flowered ; flowers 5-merous ; corolla-lobes white with 1 or usually 2 purple dots at the base of 

 each, 15-20 mm. long; stamens with very short distinct filaments; anthers 5-6 mm. long, taper- 

 ing from the base to an acute apex, purple ; capsule narrowly ovoid, 5-7 mm. long, dehiscing by 

 5 terminal valves. 



Shady wet places usually along streams. Transition and Canadian Zones; British Columbia to Oregon, Idaho, 

 and Utah. In Washington it has been collected in Okanogan, Chelan, Kittitas, and Skamania Counties; in Ore- 

 gon, on bluffs along the Columbia Gorge. Type locality: "N.W. interior." Collected by Douglas. May-June. 

 White Birdbill. 



2. Dodecatheon Jeffrey! Van Houtte. Jeffrey's Shooting Star. Fig. 3764. 



Dodecatheon Jeffreyi Van Houtte, Fl. Serres 16: 99. pi. 1682. 1865. 

 Dodecatheon glandulosum Eastw. Leaflets West. Bot. 2: 36. 1937. 



Plants with a short rootstock, producing many fleshy roots and sometimes bulblets. Leaves 

 oblanceolate, acute or obtuse, or even rounded at apex, gradually narrowed below to a winged 

 petiole, 7-25 cm. long, 1-3.5 cm. broad, entire or remotely denticulate, glabrous or obscurely 

 and scatteringly glandular-puberulent; scapes 35-60 cm. high, glandular-puberulent especially 



