Clintonia uniflora
Encyclopedia
Clintonia uniflora is a species of flowering plant in the lily family
known by several common names, including bride's bonnet and queen's cup. This rhizomatous
perennial, a member of the bead lily genus
, is native to the mountains of western North America from California
to Alberta
. It grows in the understory of coniferous forests. This flower has only two or three leaves located at the base of its stem, but they are several centimeters wide and can be much longer. It bears flowers singly or in inflorescence
s of two or three. The small simple flower has six white tepal
s and six protruding white stamen
s with pollen-dusted anthers. The flower is replaced atop the stem by a round blue berry
up to a centimeter wide.
Liliaceae
The Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
known by several common names, including bride's bonnet and queen's cup. This rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial, a member of the bead lily genus
Clintonia
The genus Clintonia contains the bead lilies, which flower and then fruit into berries. Plants of this genus are distributed across North America and eastern Asia. This genus was named after De Witt Clinton, an 18th-century botanist and U.S. politician....
, is native to the mountains of western North America from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. It grows in the understory of coniferous forests. This flower has only two or three leaves located at the base of its stem, but they are several centimeters wide and can be much longer. It bears flowers singly or in inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s of two or three. The small simple flower has six white tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s and six protruding white stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s with pollen-dusted anthers. The flower is replaced atop the stem by a round blue berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
up to a centimeter wide.