Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Melanthium parviflorum
FAMILY
Melanthiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Melanthium from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Veratrum parviflorum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Melanthium parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Melanthium parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Veratrum parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Melanthium parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-24-002:
Veratrum parviflorum FAMILY Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Veratrum parviflorum
COMMON NAME:
Mountain Bunchflower, Small-flowered Hellebore, Small False Hellebore, Appalachian Bunchflower
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_vepa3_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm060429_001
April Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm190413_7316
April Rabun County GA
)
JK Marlow jkm060508_004
May Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Ranger District
On the left is Clintonia umbellulata; on the right is Veratrum parviflorum.
)
JK Marlow jkm060508_163
May Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Ranger District
Leaves are elliptic, long-stalked, and under 8" long, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm240502_9046
May Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm0508d_16
August Transylvania County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm0508d_29
August Transylvania County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm140816_729
August Jackson County NC
High Hampton Inn
Tepals greenish-yellow to olive green, rhombic-oblanceolate, not clawed, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm180825_4153
August Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Perianth segments taper gradually to base, are not clawed, & have no glands, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm180825_4156
August Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Pedicels spreading to nearly perpendicular, 5.5-11mm, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm180825_4157
August Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmparviflorum_shutin
Month Unknown Buncombe County NC
Pisgah National Forest: Pisgah Ranger District
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Melanthium parviflorum
FAMILY
Melanthiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Veratrum parviflorum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Melanthium parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Melanthium parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Veratrum parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Melanthium parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-24-002:
Veratrum parviflorum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Veratrum parviflorum
1592
Forb
Perennial
Polygamous
Habitat: Moist to rather dry forests, up to at least 1700 meters, most frequent in oak forests at middle elevations, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Carolina Mountains, uncommon in GA Mountains (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & low alternate, plant almost scapose
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Yellowish-green/ Green/ Maroon
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
6 stamens
Bisexual or staminate
Inflorescence a panicle
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p146
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p421
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p458
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p394
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p370
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p435
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p014
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".