Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center


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Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains

25. Saxifragaceae, the Saxifrage Family

2. Parnassia L. -- Grass-of-Parnassus

2. Parnassia palustris L.

Plants with scapes 1.5-4 dm tall. Leaf blades ovate to subrotund, 1-3 cm long, broadly acute to obtuse or rounded at the tip, rounded to usually cordate at the base, not decurrent on the petiole; bract-leaf usually cordate-clasping on the scape. Sepals lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 4-11 mm long, herbaceous throughout, 5- to 9-nerved, acute; petals ovate to elliptic-ovate, 8-15 mm long, usually 1.5-2X longer than the sepals, 7- to 11-nerved; staminodes (7)9- to many-parted toward the dilated tip, 5-9 mm long. Jul--Sep. Calcareous fens, shores, stream banks and wet meadows; occasional in e, c and nw ND and n SD; (Circumboreal, in N.Amer. s to NY, MN, n SD, CO, NV and CA).

Parnassia palustris

Map key

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Return to Family -- Saxifragaceae - The Saxifrage Family
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