Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains
25. Saxifragaceae, the Saxifrage Family
3. Penthorum L. -- Ditch stonecrop1. Penthorum sedoides L.
Erect, rhizomatous, perennial herb 1-6 dm tall, frequently red-tinged, glabrous below, glandular-pubescent in the inflorescence. Leaves simple, alternate, sessile or on petioles to 1 cm long; blades elliptic-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 2-10 cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide, acute to acuminate, rather finely serrate, cuneate at the base. Flowers in terminal, branched scorpioid racemes; pedicels 0.5-3 mm long. Flowers star-shaped, perfect, regular, perigynous, 3-4 mm across in flower, 5-7 mm across in fruit; sepals 5, green, narrowly triangular, 0.8-2 mm long, fused below to form a short, broad hypanthium; corolla none; stamens 10; pistils 5, simple, fused toward the base and laterally to form a ring, sharing a large, central axile placenta, each pistil maturing into an obliquely circumscissile capsule; seeds numerous, tawny to reddish-brown, ellipsoid, ca. 0.5 mm long, minutely papillate. Jul--Sep. Stream banks, shores and ditches where water is fresh; frequent in e ND, e SD, e and c NE; (ME to Man., s to FL and TX).
Penthorum sedoides, with closeup of the star-shaped fruit produced by one flower. |
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