Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (2/8/20):
Melanthium parviflorum
FAMILY
Melanthiaceae
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
Synthesis of the North American Flora (Kartesz, 1999)
Melanthium parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-24-002:
Veratrum parviflorum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
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.
)
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.
)
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 (2/8/20):
Melanthium parviflorum
FAMILY
Melanthiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Veratrum parviflorum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Synthesis of the North American Flora (Kartesz, 1999)
Melanthium parviflorum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-24-002:
Veratrum parviflorum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
1592
Forb
Perennial
Polygamous
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Documented growing wild in GA NC SC
Common in NC-SC Mountains (uncommon in GA, rare in Piedmont), endemic to S. Appalachians
Look for it in moist to rather dry forests, up to at least 1700m, most frequent in oak forests at middle elevations, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a more detailed map from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium,
or click here to see a map from SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & low alternate, plant almost scapose
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Yellowish-green/ Green/ Maroon
Bisexual or staminate
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
6 stamens
Inflorescence a panicle
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast p458
- Wildflowers of Tennessee p370
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians p435
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains p014