Scoliopus bigelovii
Encyclopedia
Scoliopus bigelovii is a species of flowering plant in the lily family
known by several common names, including California fetid adderstongue, Bigelow's adderstongue, slinkpod, and brownies. It is native to California
, where it is known from parts of the San Francisco Bay Area
and North Coast Ranges. It may occur just over the border in Oregon
. It occurs in old-growth forest in the understory
of redwoods. It grows in mossy, moist places, often in shade. This perennial herb, one of two species of Scoliopus
, grows from a rhizome
and a small section of underground stem. The aboveground parts include two large leaves each up to 24 centimeters long by 10 wide. There are sometimes 3 or 4 leaves. They have several longitudinal veins and are green with darker green or purplish mottling. The inflorescence
is actually an umbel
of flowers, but the peduncle
is mostly underground with 3 to 12 flower-bearing pedicels
rising above the surface, appearing separate. The flower has three flat, spreading, pointed oval or lance-shaped sepal
s and three narrower, linear or fingerlike petals. The sepals are pale or greenish and striped or streaked with dark purple. The flower has a disagreeable scent. The three short stamen
s are located at the bases of the sepals. The style
has three long, often curving branches. The fruit is a capsule. As it matures the pedicel which bears it twists or droops down to bring it in contact with the substrate.
The flower is pollinated
by fungus gnat
s of the genera Mycetophilla, Sciara
, and Corynoptera
. Seeds are dispersed by ant
s, including Formica fusca
, Formica rufibaris, and Aphaenogaster subterranea.
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 California fetid adderstongue, Bigelow's adderstongue, slinkpod, and brownies. It is native to 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...
, where it is known from parts of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and North Coast Ranges. It may occur just over the border in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It occurs in old-growth forest in the understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
of redwoods. It grows in mossy, moist places, often in shade. This perennial herb, one of two species of Scoliopus
Scoliopus
Scoliopus, or Fetid Adder's Tongue, is a genus of plant within the Liliaceae family consisting of two species, Scoliopus bigelovii and S. hallii. Both are found in deep shaded forests, primarily in the coastal counties of the western United States from central California to northern Oregon...
, grows from a rhizome
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...
and a small section of underground stem. The aboveground parts include two large leaves each up to 24 centimeters long by 10 wide. There are sometimes 3 or 4 leaves. They have several longitudinal veins and are green with darker green or purplish mottling. The 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...
is actually an umbel
Umbel
An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
of flowers, but the peduncle
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
is mostly underground with 3 to 12 flower-bearing pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
rising above the surface, appearing separate. The flower has three flat, spreading, pointed oval or lance-shaped sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and three narrower, linear or fingerlike petals. The sepals are pale or greenish and striped or streaked with dark purple. The flower has a disagreeable scent. The three short stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are located at the bases of the sepals. The style
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
has three long, often curving branches. The fruit is a capsule. As it matures the pedicel which bears it twists or droops down to bring it in contact with the substrate.
The flower is pollinated
Pollination
Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
by fungus gnat
Fungus gnat
Fungus gnats are small, dark, short-lived flies, of the families Sciaridae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae, Bolitophilidae and Mycetophilidae , sometimes placed in the superfamily Mycetophiloidea, whose larvae feed on plant roots or fungi and aid in the decomposition of organic matter...
s of the genera Mycetophilla, Sciara
Sciara (genus)
Sciara is a genus of fungus gnats that feed on decaying organic matter and fungi, and are often found in greenhouses. Their larvae are up to 6 mm long, white, slender and legless, with a black head and smooth semi-transparent skin which reveals the contents of the digestive tract.The adult fly...
, and Corynoptera
Corynoptera
Corynoptera is a genus of fungus gnats in the family Sciaridae.-Species:* Corynoptera abducera Mohrig & Rulik, 1999* Corynoptera adustula Hippa, Vilkamaa & Heller, 2010* Corynoptera aequispina Hippa, Vilkamaa & Heller, 2010...
. Seeds are dispersed by ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s, including Formica fusca
Formica fusca
Formica fusca, the common black ant of Europe, is a palaearctic ant with a range extending from Portugal in the west to Japan in the east and from Italy in the south to Fennoscandia in the north. F...
, Formica rufibaris, and Aphaenogaster subterranea.