Thursday, June 14, 2018

Rosy Twisted-Stalk


Day 244: Twisted-Stalk is currently a taxonomic nightmare. Some field guides will list it as Streptopus roseus, S. curvipes or S. roseus var. curvipes but the current designation and ONLY accepted name is S. lanceolatus var. curvipes. Okay, you've all heard me rant about taxonomy before. I just wanted to throw this in here to emphasize the fact that botany is not a static science.

Rosy Twisted-Stalk, true to its common name, bears a bell-shaped flower which is marked with a purplish colour. Unlike other Streptopus species, its stalk is not markedly kinked at the point where the flower stem (pedicel) emerges from the stalk, nor do its leaves clasp the stem. It is generally found above 3000' elevation. Three species of Streptopus occur at Mount Rainier; the other two have white flowers which open out at the tips.

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