Shortia galacifolia var. brevistyla
Rhodora 54: 124. 1952 ,.
Common names: Catawba shortia
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 8. Treatment on page 335.
Flowers: corolla lobes 14–17 mm; styles 6–10(–12) mm.
Phenology: Flowering Mar–Apr.
Habitat: Moist slopes, stream banks, rock outcrops in humid escarpment gorges, generally in deep shade under Rhododendron maximum
Elevation: 200-600 m
Discussion
Of conservation concern.
Variety brevistyla is known only from McDowell County, where it occurs along tributaries of the Catawba River and the North Fork Catawba River, disjunct to the northeast of var. galacifolia by about 100 kilometers. Morphological differences are relatively few, quantitative, and overlapping; recognition of two infraspecific taxa emphasizes the geographic disjunction.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.