Species: Besseya wyomingensis (A. Nels.) Rydb.

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Besseya wyomingensis (A. Nels.) Rydb.

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Scrophulariaceae

Genus:

Besseya

Species Synonyms:

Besseya cinerea (Raf.) Pennell

Common Names:

Wyoming kittentails
coral-drops

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

southern Alberta – southwestern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan:

southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills

Ecoregion:

Cypress Upland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

upland fescue grassland slopes

Associated Species:

Packera cana

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Wyoming kittentails is threatened because it is rare and regionally restricted in Saskatchewan. Possible threats have been identified for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

15 – 30 cm

Stems:

erect, grey, short-hairy to long-hairy

Leaves:

basal and on the stem; basal leaves long-stalked, 2 – 5 cm long, 1.5 – 4 cm wide, oval to oblong, base wedge-shaped to nearly heart-shaped, tip obtuse, often reddish-tinged, pinnately veined, margin round-toothed to saw-toothed; stem leaves small, sessile, alternate, lance-shaped to oval, margin toothed to entire

Inflorescence:

dense, flowers sessile, 2 – 5 cm long (flower), 5 – 15 cm long (fruit), densely hairy, usually purplish-tinged; stalk 5 – 25 cm

Flowers:

perfect, irregular; sepals 2-lobed; petals absent; stamens 2, exserted, purplish; style thread-like, stigma head-like

Fruits:

capsule many-seeded, about as long as wide, long-hairy, tip entire to scarcely notched; seeds flat, round

SCROPHULARIACEAE KEY FOR GENERA FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Stamens 2	2
1 Stamens 4 or 5	4

2 Leaves alternate or all basal; petals absent	Besseya
2 Leaves opposite; petals present	3

3 Sepals 4-lobed; stamens exserted	Veronica
3 Sepals 5-lobed; stamens inserted	Gratiola

4 Leaves all basal	5
4 At least some stem leaves	6

5 Flowers solitary; petals tubular; leaves usually entire or toothed	Limosella
5 Flowers in spike-like clusters; petals 2-lipped; leaves pinnately lobed or cleft	Pedicularis

6 Petals spurred	7
6 Petals not spurred	9

7 Petals bluish purple, 4.5 – 6 mm long, excluding spur; flowers solitary in leaf axils	Chaenorrhinum
7 Petals yellow or blue, 10 – 13 mm long, excluding spur; flowers in terminal unbranched clusters	8

8 Slender annual, 10 – 40 cm tall; petals blue	Nuttallanthus
8 Stout perennial, 30 – 100 cm tall; petals yellow and orange	Linaria

9 Floral bracts coloured, concealing flowers	Castilleja
9 Floral bracts green, flowers evident	10

10 Stem leaves alternate	11
10 Stem leaves opposite	13

11 Stamens 5, filaments long-hairy; petals regular, distinctly 5-lobed	Verbascum
11 Stamens 4, filaments hairless; corolla irregular, indistinctly 5-lobed	12

12 Basal leaves absent; stem leaves usually entire, linear; flowers yellow; stamens not enclosed by upper lip	Orthocarpus
12 Basal leaves commonly present; stem leaves toothed or pinnately lobed; flowers yellow to white or purple; stamens enclosed by upper lip	Pedicularis

13 Sepals 4-lobed	14
13 Sepals 5-lobed	17

14 Petals pink or purple	Odontites
14 Petals white to yellow	15

15 Sepals about 1 cm long in flower, enlarged, veiny, and membranous in fruit	Rhinanthus
15 Sepals less than 1 cm long in flower, not enlarged in fruit	16

16 Leaves 2 – 10 mm long, lobed, upper leaves sessile	Euphrasia
16 Leaves 10 – 40 mm long, more or less entire, upper leaves stalked	Melampyrum

17 Sterile stamens present, filamentous	Penstemon
17 Sterile stamens absent or scale-like	18

18 Flowers blue; stamens enclosed by lower lip; upper stem leaves whorled	Collinsia
18 Flowers greenish to yellow or reddish; stamens not enclosed by lower lip; stem leaves all opposite	19

19 Petals green with reddish or purple tinge; flowers less conspicuous, less than 1 cm long; sepal segments deeply parted	Scrophularia
19 Petals yellow or pinkish red; flowers large and showy, 1 – 4 cm long; sepal segments united into tube	Mimulus