Flora of North America species comparison

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Synthyris wyomingensis

Wyoming besseya, Wyoming kitten-tails, Wyoming kittentail
Leaves

strictly annual, disintegrating in 1st year;

blade broadly to narrowly lanceolate to ovate, 25+ mm wide, leathery, base cuneate, rounded, lobate, or cordate, margins crenate or incised-crenate, teeth apices acute to rounded, surfaces hairy;

basal veins extending into distal 1/2 of blade, lateral veins 3–8 on each side of midvein.
Racemes

erect, to 47 cm in fruit;

sterile bracts 10–25, ovate to spatulate, largest 1+ cm;

flowers 100+, densely aggregated (separating in fruit).
Stamens

inserted on receptacle.
Ovaries

ovules 17–40.
Capsules

densely hairy.
Sepals

2–4, all lobes connate, if 2+ lobes, then connate for at least 1/2 of length on abaxial side.
Petals

0.

Synthyris wyomingensis
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul; fruiting May–Aug.
Habitat Montane, subalpine, and alpine grasslands, open, coniferous forests.
Elevation 1000–3700 m. (3300–12100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; NE; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Synthyris wyomingensis is highly variable over its wide elevational and geographic ranges. Populations in the northern and western part of the range have bluish purple stamens; those in the southeastern part of the range have white to whitish yellow stamens. Tetraploid (2n = 48) populations are known only from the Bridger Mountains, Montana; populations from elsewhere are diploid 2n = 24 (C. G. Schaack 1983).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 304.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Synthyris
Sibling taxa
S. alpina, S. borealis, S. bullii, S. canbyi, S. cordata, S. dissecta, S. laciniata, S. lanuginosa, S. missurica, S. oblongifolia, S. pinnatifida, S. plantaginea, S. platycarpa, S. ranunculina, S. reniformis, S. ritteriana, S. rubra, S. schizantha
Synonyms Wulfenia wyomingensis, Besseya wyomingensis, Veronica wyomingensis
Name authority (A. Nelson) A. Heller: Muhlenbergia 1: 5. (1900)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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