Mountain deathcamas | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Liliales |
Family: | Melanthiaceae |
Genus: | Anticlea |
Species: | A. elegans
|
Binomial name | |
Anticlea elegans | |
Subspecies | |
| |
Synonyms[3][4][5][6] | |
A. elegans subsp. elegans synonymy
A. elegans subsp. glauca synonymy
A. elegans subsp. vaginata synonymy
|
Anticlea elegans, commonly known as mountain deathcamas, elegant camas, or glaucous death-camas, is a trillium-relative in the flowering plant family Melanthiaceae. Three distinct subspecies are included Anticlea elegans subsp. elegans, the type subspecies, plus Anticlea elegans subsp. glauca and Anticlea elegans subsp. vaginata. Anticlea elegans subsp. vaginata is likely a result of a vicariance event at the end of the Pleistocene and the populations are genetically drifting apart. Glacial refugia in at least five US states have formerly hosted populations of Anticlea elegans subsp. glauca, though two are now extirpated. The species is native to most of North America, being absent from California and the Baja California peninsula, the deep southeastern United States, and the far north of Canada. Little is known about the species pollinators, with a small population in Idaho documented to be likely pollinated mostly by flies.