Species: Lilaea scilloides (Poir.) Hauman

comments | credits | copyright

Back to: Plants at Risk in Saskatchewan

Lilaea scilloides (Poir.) Hauman

Species Image Gallery
(opens in a new window)

TAXONOMY

Family:

Juncaginaceae

Genus:

Lilaea

Species Synonyms:

Lilaea subulata Bonpl.

Common Names:

flowering quillwort
awl-leaf lilaea

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

southwestern British Columbia, southeastern Alberta – southeastern Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan:

southern Saskatchewan; Debden – Trossachs

Ecoregion:

Cypress Uplands, Mixed Grassland, Moist Mixed Grassland, Boreal Transition

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

sloughs and mudflats

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

N2 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Lilaea scilloides is endangered in Saskatchewan because there are few known locations of this species and the populations tend to be small and separated from one another.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

to 30 cm

Roots:

rhizomes slender, short, lacking terminal tubers

Stems:

absent

Leaves:

erect, basal, 15 - 35 cm long, 1 – 3 mm wide, terete, with aerenchyma tissue; sheath with free ligule

Inflorescence:

spicate racemes or solitary flowers, both scapose and sessile, usually with 2 or more sessile inflorescences, solitary flowers pistillate only; scapes shorter than leaves; pistillate flowers near base, bisexual flowers in the middle, staminate flowers near the top

Flowers:

sessile; bisexual and unisexual, 5 types of flowers: 1. tepals 0 – 1, green, linear, stamens 0 – 1, anthers sessile, pistil 1, ovules 1; 2 and 3 (bisexual and staminate flowers). tepals present; 4 (pistillate flowers). tepals present, style 0.5 – 2 mm; 5 (pistillate flowers). tepals absent, style 0.2 – 3

Fruits:

nutlets 2 – 5 mm long, angular, beaked

JUNCAGINACEAE KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

Lilaea is sometimes places in the monotypic family Lilaeaceae, but we have treated it as part of the Juncaginaceae due to the similarities in morphology and molecular characters. Lilaea scilloides is the only species in the genus.

Inflorescences both scapose spike-like racemes (bisexual and unisexual flowers) and sessile (pistillate flowers only); perianth commonly absent; style and stigma 1	Lilaea
Inflorescences all scapose spike-like racemes with bisexual flowers; perianth present; styles and stigmas 2 or 3	Triglochin