Kingdom Plantae Subfamily Medeoloideae Higher classification Liliaceae Order Liliales | Family Liliaceae Scientific name Clintonia Rank Genus | |
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Lower classifications Clintonia borealis, Clintonia uniflora, Clintonia andrewsiana | ||
Mynature apps identifying yellow clintonia clintonia borealis
Clintonia is a genus of flowering plants first described as a genus in 1818. It is distributed across North America and eastern Asia where it is found as an understory plant in woodlands. It was named after De Witt Clinton, an 18th-century botanist and U.S. politician.
Contents
- Mynature apps identifying yellow clintonia clintonia borealis
- Yarrow and yellow clintonia
- Description
- Species
- Cultivation
- References
Yarrow and yellow clintonia
Description
Clintonia species are herbaceous perennials growing from rhizomatous underground stems with thin, fibrous roots. They grow from 1.5 to 8 dm tall. They have 2 to 6 basal leaves arising from the rhizome crown, the basal leaves are sessile and sheathing, and the cauline leaves have a stalk, the blade of the leaves have a prominent central vein and entire margins, and the bottom ends are obovate to oblanceolate in shape. The leaf apex is acute to abruptly short-acuminate, often mucronate (ending abruptly in a short sharp point). The inflorescences are terminal, and the flowers are arranged into short racemes or umbel-like clusters, with 1 to 45 flowers. The flowers have 6 tepals with nectaries present. The stamens are inserted at the base of the perianth, and the anthers are oblong-obovate to oblong-linear shaped. The rounded to cylinder shaped ovary is superior with two chambers (sometime three). Each chamber produces 2 to 10 ovules. The smooth fruits are berry-like, round to egg-shaped, metallic blue to black in color. Four to thirty seeds are produced in each fruit and the seeds are shiny brown, round and the ends are angled with 2 or 3 faces.
Species
accepted species
- C. andrewsiana - SW Oregon, W California
- C. borealis - E Canada, NE USA, Great Lakes, Appalachians
- C. udensis - China, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Himalayas, Russian Far East
- C. umbellulata - Appalachians
- C. uniflora - western North America from Alaska to California
Cultivation
Clintonia species are cultivated as garden subjects in shade gardens, grown for the glossy foliage, small lily-like flowers, and blue fruits, and their ability to live in heavy shade. They grow best in cool, organic-rich, acid soils that retain moisture and when grown well form dense slowly spreading clumps.
