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- Anticlea elegans
Anticlea elegans — mountain death camas
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Facts
Mountain death camas is very rare in New England, being known only from the shores of Lake Champlain, Vermont, where it grows on lakshore headlands and bluffs on high-pH bedrock. It is poisonous to humans and cattle, and a common source of poisoning in sheep. The flowers have a characteristic unpleasant odor.
Habitat
Cliffs, balds, or ledges, ridges or ledges, shores of rivers or lakes
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
-
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant (basal)
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- Leaf blade length
- 100–300 mm
- Flower petal color
-
- green to brown
- white
- Flower petal length
- 7–12 mm
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Inflorescence type
-
- the inflorescence is a panicle (branched with the individual flowers on stalks)
- the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
- Ovary position
-
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
- Fruit length
- 10–20 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Axillary bulblets
- there are no bulblets being produced in axils
-
Flowers
- Anther attachment
- the anther is attached at its midpoint to the filament
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused (the number of carpels equals the number of locules)
- Flower bract length
- 5–20 mm
- Flower bracts
- there are bracts associated with the flower
- Flower number
- 10–50
- Flower orientation
- the flowers point upward or spread or curve outward
- Flower petal color
-
- green to brown
- white
- Flower petal length
- 7–12 mm
- Flower shape
-
- the flower is bell-shaped
- the flower is flattened or platter-shaped
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Form of style
- the style is knob-like at the tip, and unbranched
- Fringed petal edges
- the petals are not fringed
- Hairs on flower stalk
- the flower stalk has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence hair glands
- the axis of the inflorescence has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence length
- 100–300 mm
- Inflorescence type
-
- the inflorescence is a panicle (branched with the individual flowers on stalks)
- the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
- Inflorescence width
- 30–60 mm
- Length of flower stalk
- 10–23 mm
- Length of peduncle
- 90–250 mm
- Marks on petals
-
- the petals have spots or streaks on them
- there are no noticeable marks on the petals
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 3
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals and/or petals
- there are six petals, sepals or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 3
- Ovary position
-
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal base
- the petal narrows gradually or does not narrow at the base
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Petal nectaries
- there are nectaries at the petal bases
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals resemble petals in color and texture
- Sepal length
- 7–12 mm
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Spathe
- the plant does not have a spathe
- Spathe form
- NA
- Spathe length
- 0 mm
- Stamen length
- 3.5–12 mm
- Stamen number
- 6
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamen types
- the stamens within a cycle are all similar
- Stamens fused outwards
- the stamens are not fused to the petals or tepals
- Style petal-like
- the style is not broad and flattened like a petal
- Tepals
- the petals and sepals are similar in size and color
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- NA
- Fruit compartments
- there are three locules in the fruit
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is round in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 10–20 mm
- Fruit stalk orientation
- the fruits point upward or spread or curve outward
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
- Other markings on berry
- NA
-
Glands or sap
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Underground organs
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms
-
Leaves
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
-
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant (basal)
- Leaf blade basal lobes
- the leaf blades do not have basal lobes
- Leaf blade base
-
- the leaf blade clasps the stem at the base, or the leaf blade goes all the way around the stem, so that the stem appears to pierce the leaf blade
- the leaf has no stalk
- Leaf blade base shape
- NA
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf blade has a noticeable waxy or powdery bloom
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section
- Leaf blade faces
- both surfaces of the leaf blade are exposed
- Leaf blade form
- Fully-formed (i.e., expanded), +/- green leaf blades are found somewhere on the plant
- Leaf blade length
- 100–300 mm
- Leaf blade orientation
- the upper surface of the leaf blade faces the stem of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade tip
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins are parallel or slightly arched in the direction of the tip
- Leaf blade width
- 3–15 mm
- Leaf stalk length
- 0 mm
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
- Leaflet number
- 0
- Stipule twining
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on this plant
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- cliffs, balds, or ledges
- ridges or ledges
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the leaves have no particular smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem growth form
- the flowering stem is held upright
- Flowering stem leaves
-
- there are no true leaves on the flowering stem
- there is at least one fully-formed leaf on the flowering stem
- Stem hairs
- the stem is nearly or completely hairless
Wetland status
Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- absent
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
None
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Anticlea elegans (Pursh) Rydb. ssp. glaucus (Nutt.) A. Haines NC
mountain death camas. Anticlea elegans (Pursh) Rydb. var. glaucus (Nutt.) Zomlefer & Judd; A. glauca (Nutt.) Kunth; Melanthium glaucum Nutt.; Zigadenus elegans Pursh var. glaucus (Nutt.) Preece ex Cronq. • VT; known only from Lake Champlain. Lakeshore headlands and bluffs composed of high-pH bedrock.
Native to North America?
Synonyms
- Anticlea elegans (Pursh) Rydb. var. glaucus (Nutt.) Zomlefer & Judd
- Anticlea glauca (Nutt.) Kunth
- Melanthium glaucum Nutt.
- Zigadenus elegans Pursh var. glaucus (Nutt.) Preece ex Cronq.