| TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
For up-to-date information about California vascular plants, visit the Jepson eFlora. |
AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Annual, perennial herb, sometimes aquatic
Leaves generally basal and cauline, generally alternate, simple or compound; petioles at base generally flat, sometimes sheathing or stipule-like
Inflorescence: cyme, raceme, panicle, or flowers solitary
Flower generally bisexual, radial; sepals generally 5, free, early deciduous or withering in fruit, generally green; petals 0–many, free; stamens generally 10–many; pistils 1–many, ovary superior, chamber 1, style 1, generally ± persistent in fruit as beak, ovules 1–many
Fruit: achene, follicle, berry, or utricle-like, 1–many-seeded
Genera in family: ± 60 genera, 1700 species: worldwide, especially n temp, tropical mtns; many ornamental (Adonis, Aquilegia, Clematis, Consolida, Delphinium, Erianthis, Helleborus ),some highly TOXIC (Aconitum, Actaea, Delphinium, Ranunculus )
Reference: [Duncan & Keener 1991 Phytologia 70:24–27]
Annual from fibrous roots, generally glabrous
Stems 1–many, ascending to erect, slender, generally tufted
Leaves simple; basal, ± sessile, thread-like to narrowly oblanceolate, entire
Inflorescence scapose; peduncle 1-flowered, in fruit generally > 1 cm
Flower bisexual, radial; receptacle in fruit much elongated, cylindric; sepals 5–7, spurred, white to green, fading brownish; petals 0 or 3–5, white to greenish or yellowish, generally early deciduous; stamens 5–many; pistils many
Fruit: achenes, glabrous to puberulent; keel on outer surface, in depression or not, beak (continuation of keel) ± ascending to erect-appressed
Species in genus: 10–15 species: temp Am, Eurasia, New Zealand
Etymology: (Greek: mouse tail, from receptacle in fruit)
Reference: [Campbell 1952 El Aliso 2:389–403; Stone 1959 Evolution 13:151–174]
Fr needed for identification.
| Native |
Plant 2–12 cm
Leaf 0.5–6 cm, thread-like to narrowly oblanceolate
Inflorescence in fruit < to > leaves
Flower: receptacle in fruit 10–40 mm; sepals 1–3 mm, spur ± = sepal; petals 5, 1.5–3 mm; stamens generally 10
Fruit: body ± compressed laterally or not; keel in a slight depression or not; beak generally erect to erect-appressed, generally < 0.5 mm
Ecology: Wet places, vernal pools, marshes
Elevation: < 1500 m.
Bioregional distribution: North Coast Ranges, Cascade Range Foothills, Sierra Nevada Foothills, Great Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, s Outer South Coast Ranges, South Coast, San Jacinto Mountains, Modoc Plateau, White and Inyo Mountains
Distribution outside California: to British Columbia, e US, Eurasia
Synonyms: var. filiformis Greene, subsp. major (Greene) G.R. Campb
Plants from GV, SCo with inflorescence < or = leaves have been called subsp. apus (Greene) G.R. Campb., little mousetail, hybridizes with M. sessilis in GV.