16 



BULLETIN" 1012, XJ. S, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ZYGADENUS ELEGANS. 



DESCRIPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE PLANT.* 



Zygadenus elegans, shown in Plate III, is an erect perennial herb 

 with leafy stems arising from coated bulbs. Often numerous bulbs 

 are together, forming clumps; three are so grouped in the picture. 

 The linear grasslike leaves are one-sixth to one-half inch broad, 4 to 12 

 inches long, and are much whitened, particularly when young; the 

 lower ones are sheathing at base, the upper without sheaths. 



The flowers are in racemes which are simple or somewhat branched 

 below, and often few-flowered. Under the flowers are ovate-lanceo- 

 late purplish bracts. 

 The greenish straw- 

 colored or whitish 

 flower segments are 

 one-fourth to five- 

 twelfths of an inch in 

 length and adhere to 

 the base of the ovary. 

 The glands of the 

 upper flower segments 

 are obcordate. The 

 ovary is ovate in form 

 and the stamens are 

 included. 



In the western part 

 of the United States 

 (figure 5) this plant 

 ranges from the 

 Olympic Mountains, 

 Washington, east to 

 central Montana and 

 southward through 

 central Oregon and 

 central Nevada to southern Arizona and east to central New Mexico. 

 In this region it is a high-mountain plant ranging from 2,500 to 

 13,000 feet. The natural habitat of Z. elegans is moist meadows and 

 springy places from the yellow-pine to the arctic-alpine zones. Near 

 the Salina Experiment Station the plant buds early in July, is in flower 

 from the middle of July, and seeds in August and September. 



Distinction hetween Z. paniculatus and Z. elegans. — The technical 

 description already given will serve to distinguish clearly the two 

 species treated of in this bulletin. The stockman, however, using 

 the country within the range of these plants, can readily separate 



Fig. 5. — Distribution of Zygadenus elegans in the western part of the 

 United States. 



4 The description of Z. elegans and its distribution was prepared by W. W. Eggleston, of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



