Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains
Parnassia L. -- Grass-of-Parnassus
Single or clumped, glabrous perennials. Leaves all basal except 1 sessile leaf usually present near or below the middle on each scape, the blades entire; petioles winged at the base by the elongate brownish stipules. Flowers rather showy, white, solitary on the scapes; calyx usually adnate to the ovary in the connate lower portion, the sepals acute to rounded; petals white, strongly nerved; functional stamens 5, inserted on the hypanthium opposite the sepals and alternating with 5 staminodes which are opposite the petals, staminodes dilated from the base and divided into 3-many filamentlike segments tipped with glandular knobs, shorter than to slightly exceeding the functional stamens; pistil 4-carpellary, stigmas 4, sessile or nearly so, ovary superior to slightly inferior; hypanthium very short. Capsule 4-valved, containing numerous oblong, angular seeds.
| Lead | Characteristic | Go To |
| 1 | Staminodes 3-parted; sepals with a narrow hyaline margin. | P. glauca |
| 1 | Staminodes (5)7- to many-parted; sepals herbaceous throughout. | Lead 2 |
| 2 | Leaf blades ovate to subrotund, broadly rounded to usually cordate at the base, not decurrent on the petiole; bract-leaf often clasping; petals 7- to 11-nerved. | P. palustris |
| 2 | Leaf blades elliptic to elliptic-ovate, tapered to and decurrent on the petiole; bract-leaf not clasping; petals usually 5(7)-nerved. | P. parviflora |
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