Aquatic and Wetland Vascular Plants of the Northern Great Plains
25. Saxifragaceae, the Saxifrage Family
2. Parnassia L. -- Grass-of-Parnassus3. Parnassia parviflora DC.
Plants with scapes 0.5-3 dm tall. Leaf blades elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 0.6-3 cm long, obtuse to rounded at the tip, basally tapered to and decurrent on the petiole; bract-leaf not clasping. Sepals narrowly lanceolate to oblong, 3-7 mm long, herbaceous throughout, usually 5-nerved; petals obovate to elliptic, 4-10 mm long, mostly 1-1.5X longer than the sepals, usually 5(7)-nerved; staminodes 5-7(9)-parted at the slightly dilated tip, shorter than the stamens. Jul--Sep. Calcareous fens, wet meadows and stream banks; rare, with records from Bottineau Co., ND, Roberts Co., and the Black Hills, SD; (Labr. to B.C., s to Que., Ont., MI, MN, SD, MT and n ID).
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