Darlingtonia californica

Torrey

Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 6(4): 5, plate 12. 1853,.

IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 8. Treatment on page 350. Mentioned on page 348.

Pitchers with white areolae, 4–6 (–10) dm, neck ca. 1 cm. Scapes 5–10 dm; bracts yellowish, 1–3.5 cm. Flowers: sepals yellow-green, 3–6 cm; petals reddish-brown with larger veins darker, 3.5 cm; stamens 10 mm; filaments 5 mm; abaxial anther sacs 6 mm, adaxial ones 4 mm; ovary 1.5 × 0.5 cm at base, to 1.3 cm diam. at apex; style 5 mm, lobes 3 × 1 mm. Capsules 3.5–4.5 × 1–2.5 cm. Seeds 2–3 × 1 mm. 2n = 30.


Phenology: Flowering mid Apr–Jul.
Habitat: Marshy streams, seeps, and bogs overlying serpentine soils
Elevation: 0-2600 m

Distribution

V8 685-distribution-map.gif

B.C., Calif., Oreg., Wash.

Discussion

Within California, Darlingtonia californica is disjunct from Del Norte County in the northwest to Nevada County southeasterly in the Sierra Nevada, and introduced in Humboldt and Mendocino counties. In Oregon, it occurs in the coastal lowlands and inland mountains of Curry and Josephine counties northward to Tillamook County. It is introduced on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, and in southern Washington. It may form relatively large stoloniferous colonies on mountain slopes or meadows and in coastal lowlands, or in shallow streams and seepage bogs. The flowers are initiated in the fall and overwinter in the bud stage, protected by the bracts. The fruits mature in late summer to fall, with seed dispersal continuing throughout the winter. The long papillae on the seeds allow flotation.

Darlingtonia californica is stunning in the wild, eagerly sought for cultivation, and difficult to grow outside its cool native range. It was discovered in 1841 on the Wilkes Expedition by the assistant botanist, W. D. Brackenridge, growing in a marsh bordering a tributary on the Sacramento River south of Shasta Peak. It is currently threatened by road building, draining, logging, ranching, drought, and unscrupulous collectors. Darlingtonia and some eastern American species of carnivorous plants have been transplanted into sites in northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"winged" is not a number."uniform" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Darlingtonia californica"
depressed;depressed;acuminate;acute;acute;acute;rounded +
filiform +
T. Lawrence Mellichamp +
Torrey +
narrowed +
costate +  and purple-veined +
blotched +, green +, pink +, red +, purplish +, reddish +  and yellow-green +
spreading +  and erect +
lanceolate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br />) +
tuberculate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
B.C. +, Calif. +, Oreg. +  and Wash. +
0-2600 m +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +
odorless +
loculicidal +
tuberculate +
globose;ovoid or obconic shallowly 5-lobed or 10-lobed +
Marshy streams, seeps, and bogs overlying serpentine soils +
suffused with red +  and yellowish green +
globose +
enlarging +
pendulous +  and arising +
2-lobed +, flattened +  and fishtail--shaped +
rosette-forming +
yellowish green;reddish +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
axile +  and parietal +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
10-lobed +  and turbinate +
tenuinucellate +  and bitegmic +
reddish-brown +
deciduous +
distinct +
notched +  and ovate +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (?) +
Flowering mid Apr–Jul. +
twisted +  and monomorphic +
Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. +
deltate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
much longer +  and longer +
longer to much +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
long-papillate +
not keeled;long-clavate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
yellow-green +
persistent +
lanceovate;oblanceolate +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (?) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +
suffused with red +  and yellowish green +
enlarging +
Darlingtonia californica +
Darlingtonia +
species +
herb +  and colonial +