Piperia elongata

Illustrator: Barbara Alongi

Copyright: Flora of North America Association

Plants (9–)14–130 cm. Stems ± uniform toward tuberoid, 1–12 mm diam. distal to leaves; bracts 4–22. Leaves prostrate; blade 7.5–32 × 1–8.4 cm. Inflorescences sparsely to densely flowered, (3.5–)6–70 cm; rachis usually longer than peduncle; bracts 5–20 mm. Flowers green; fragrance when present nocturnal, faint, harsh to honeylike; sepals 2.4–6 × 1.1–3 mm; dorsal sepal ovate; lateral sepals spreading to recurved, ± obliquely lanceolate to oblong; petals erect-spreading, ± falcate, ovate-attenuate, 3–6 × 1.5–2.5 mm, inner margins forming U; lip becoming strongly deflexed, triangular-lanceolate, 2.1–5 × 1.2–3.4 mm; spur curved, mostly deflexed, (7–)9–15(–18) mm; viscidia broadly elliptic-ovate, 0.4–0.6 × (0.2–)0.3–0.4 mm; rostellum blunt. Capsules 4–11 mm. Seeds cinnamon brown. 2n = 42.

Phenology: Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat: Forest chaparral, dry, open sites, usually away from the immediate coast
Elevation: 0–1600 m

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

B.C., Calif., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Wash.

Discussion

Plants of the California Channel Islands are smaller, have narrower viscidia than typical plants, and flower earlier (May–June).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.