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

Besseya wyomingensis 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-puberulent to villous

Leaves:

basal and cauline; basal leaves long-petioled, 2 – 5 cm long, 1.5 – 4 cm wide, ovate to oblong, base cuneate to subcordate, apex obtuse, often reddish-tinged, pinnately veined, margin crenate to serrate; cauline leaves small, sessile, alternate, lanceolate to ovate, margin toothed to entire

Inflorescence:

spike dense, 2 – 5 cm long (flower), 5 – 15 cm long (fruit), densely pubescent, usually purplish-tinged; peduncle 5 – 25 cm

Flowers:

perfect, zygomorphic; calyx 2-lobed; corolla absent; stamens 2, exserted, purplish; style filiform, stigma capitate

Fruits:

capsule many-seeded, about as long as wide, villous, apex entire to scarcely notched; seeds flat, orbicular

SCROPHULARIACEAE KEY FOR GENERA FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Stamens 2	2
1 Stamens 4 or 5	4

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

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

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

5 Flowers solitary; corolla rotate to campanulate; leaves usually entire or toothed	Limosella
5 Flowers in spicate racemes; corolla bilabiate; leaves pinnately lobed or cleft	Pedicularis

6 Corolla spurred	7
6 Corolla not spurred	9

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

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

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

10 Cauline leaves alternate	11
10 Cauline leaves opposite	13

11 Stamens 5, filaments villous; corolla actinomorphic, distinctly 5-lobed	Verbascum
11 Stamens 4, filaments glabrous; corolla zygomorphic, indistinctly 5-lobed	12

12 Basal leaves absent; cauline leaves usually entire, linear; flowers yellow	Orthocarpus
12 Basal leaves commonly present; cauline leaves toothed or pinnately lobed; flowers yellow to white or purple	Pedicularis

13 Calyx 4-lobed	14
13 Calyx 5-lobed	17

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

15 Calyx about 1 cm long in flower, enlarged, veiny, and membranous in fruit	Rhinanthus
15 Calyx 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 petiolate	Melampyrum

17 Staminode present, filamentous	Penstemon
17 Staminode absent or scale-like	18

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

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