Flora of North America species comparison

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Helonias

Helonias bullata

helonias

swamp-pink
Habit Herbs, perennial, subscapose, glabrous, from stout rhizomes; roots contractile, fibrous. Plants 1–3 dm in flower, 6 dm in fruit.
Stems

erect, simple, hollow, glabrous.

Leaves

evergreen, in basal rosettes, reduced distally to bractlike leaves;

blade simple, oblong-spatulate to oblanceolate, margins entire, apex acute, glabrous.

dark green, 9–35 × 1.5–4 cm; bractlike leaves broadly triangular, 1–2 cm.
Racemes

30–70-flowered, ovoid in flower, 2.5–10 cm, elongate in fruit, 10–17.5 cm.
Inflorescences

terminal, racemose, dense, ebracteate, pedicellate.

Flowers

spreading, fragrant, funnel-shaped;

tepals persistent, 6, distinct to barely connate basally, purplish pink, becoming green, spatulate to oblong, nectary proximal, adaxial, weakly sulcate;

stamens persistent, 6, equaling tepals;

filaments distinct, inner 3 proximally adnate to ovary;

anthers dorsifixed, versatile, 1-locular, extrorse, pollen sacs apically confluent;

ovary superior, 3-locular proximally, 1-locular distally;

septal nectaries absent;

styles 3, depressed apically into ovary apex, ascending to arching, distinct, sessile;

stigmas not papillate along adaxial surface.

Fruits

capsular, deeply 3-lobed, papery, dehiscence loculicidal.

Capsules

obcordate, 3–8 × 8–10 mm.
Seeds

16 per locule, linear-fusiform, caudate at both ends.

whitish brown, 4–6 mm.
Tepals

4–9 mm;

filaments filiform, 5–6 mm;

anthers blue, 0.75–1 mm;

styles 1.4–2.5 mm;

pedicel 5–8 mm.
x

= 17.

2n

= 34.

Helonias

Helonias bullata
Phenology Flowering late spring–early summer.
Habitat Swamps, bogs, and pocosins of the Blue Ridge Mountains and northern coastal plain
Elevation 0–1100 m (0–3600 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
e North America
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
DE; GA; MD; NC; NJ; NY; SC; VA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species 1.

The close relationships among Helonias and the east Asian Heloniopsis A. Gray and Ypsilandra Franchet have been noted repeatedly. They exhibit many similarities in morphology and anatomy (F. Buxbaum 1925, 1927; W. Schulze 1978b; C. Sterling 1980; F. H. Utech 1978b; F. H. Utech and S. Kawano 1981; N. Tanaka 1997, 1997b, 1997c, 1997d, 1997e, 1998), palynology (M. Takahashi and S. Kawano 1989), ecology (S. Kawano and J. Masuda 1980; H. Takahashi 1988), and karyology (F. H. Utech 1980). Based on these similarities, Tanaka merged the five species of Heloniopsis and the three species of Ypsilandra into Helonias. However, molecular evidence indicates that, although the genera are related, they are distinct (S. Fuse and M. N. Tamura 2000). This group has been recognized as a separate tribe, Heloniadeae Fries, within the Melanthiaceae sensu stricto (M. N. Tamura 1998; W. B. Zomlefer 1997b), or placed in a separate family, Heloniadaceae J. Agardh (A. L. Takhtajan 1997).

Helonias in eastern North America and the Ypsilandra–Heloniopsis lineage in eastern Asia comprise a paired Arcto-Tertiary element in which Ypsilandra (western China to the Himalayas) and Heloniopis (Taiwan, Korea to Japan) have differentiated from each other in eastern Asia (N. Tanaka 1997e).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Helonias bullata is threatened in several eastern coastal states (R. D. Sutter 1984). Linnaeus cited Pennsylvania as the type locality, but probably his material came from the New Jersey pine barrens, and all Pennsylvania populations are introduced (E. T. Wherry et al. 1979; F. H. Utech 1980). This species has horticultural potential in wet gardens.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 69. Author: Frederick H. Utech. FNA vol. 26, p. 70.
Parent taxa Liliaceae Liliaceae > Helonias
Subordinate taxa
H. bullata
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 342. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 159. (1754) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 342. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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