''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'', commonly known as the California harebell, is a perennial

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

Campanulaceae The family Campanulaceae (also bellflower family), of the order Asterales, contains nearly 2400 species in 84 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky sap. Among them are several familiar garden plants belon ...

. It was formerly classified as a member of either ''

Campanula ''Campanula'' () is one of several genera of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae commonly known as bellflowers. They take both their common and scientific names from the bell-shaped flowers — ''campanula'' is Latin for "little bell" ...

'' or '' Asyneuma'' and was re-split following the discovery that genera in the family are

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

. ''S. prenanthoides'' belongs to one of several small genera in the Campanulaceae native to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and grows in montane coniferous forests.

Description

''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb with an erect branching stem 0.6–0.9 m high. The stem is slightly puberulent. The slender

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

range from 10 to 60 mm in length and usually have a toothed margin and a pointed apex. The leaves are attached to the stem by very short petioles, usually less than 5 mm long, and the upper leaves on the stem are usually sessile. They are wider toward the base with two small teeth on each side. The nodding

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are blue-purple and appear on a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

in groups of 3–5. The

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

is variable in length, between 6–20 mm. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are spreading to reflexed and the calyx is fused into an obconic tube covering less than half the length of the corolla. The corolla, fused at the base, is divided into 5 slender petals that are distinctly recurved at their tips. The

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s are 6 mm long with ciliate base. The

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

is 2.5–5 mm in diameter and hemispheric. The

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

, 15–18 mm long, is noticeably

exserted This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

beyond the sepals and petals and may be slightly curved. It is likewise blue and the distal half is papillate. The stigma is clavate and has 3 short curved divisions. ''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'' blooms in June and July. The fruit is a hemispheric dehiscent capsule with prominent ribbing. The pores are distributed at or below the middle of the capsule. The oblong

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s are 2 mm long.

Taxonomy

''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'' was originally described as ''Campanula prenanthoides'' in 1855 by

Elias Durand Elias Durand (January 25, 1794 – August 15, 1873), born Élie Magloire Durand, was an American pharmacist and botanist.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435 He was born ...

. Later, in 1945, it was transferred to the genus ''Asyneuma'' under the name ''A. prenanthoides'' by

Rogers McVaugh Rogers McVaugh (May 30, 1909 – September 24, 2009) was a research professor of botany and the UNC Herbarium's curator of Mexican plants. He was also Adjunct Research Scientist of the Hunt Institute in Carnegie Mellon University and a Prof ...

. Finally, in 2020, it was transferred to a newly erected genus, ''

Smithiastrum ''Smithiastrum'' is a genus of plants in the Campanulaceae or bellflower family found in the western United States. Its members are commonly known as harebells and were previously included in the family's type genus, ''Campanula'', and were segr ...

'', by Nancy Morin. ''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'' was

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

from ''Campanula'' and ''Asyneuma'' in order to resolve a previously

grouping of genera in the Campanulaceae. It now belongs to one of several small, newly erected taxa in the Campanulaceae native to California; other novel genera include '' Eastwoodiella'' and '' Ravenella''. The genus name ''Smithiastrum'' honors James Payne Smith Jr., a California

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

. The latter half of the

generic epithet Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

, ''astrum'', denotes a star in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and refers to the shape of the flowers. The specific epithet, ''prenanthoides'', refers to the fact that the panicle just prior to flowering closely resembles the genus '' Prenanthes''. The diploid number of ''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'' is 2n = 16.

Distribution and habitat

''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'' is native to California and Oregon. It grows in the

temperate coniferous forest Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needlel ...

s of the

Klamath Ranges The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

, Coastal Ranges, and part of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

s. It is associated with

redwood Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affini ...

forest,

yellow pine forest Ponderosa pine forest is a plant association and plant community dominated by ponderosa pine and found in western North America. It is found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast Ranges in the Western United States and Western Canada. In ...

red fir ''Abies magnifica'', the red fir or silvertip fir, is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of southwest Oregon and California in the United States. It is a high-elevation tree, typically occurring at elevation, though only rare ...

forest, and mixed evergreen forest. It is found at elevations of 50–2000 m.

Uses

In cultivation, ''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'' requires part shade and moist soil with good drainage. It may be a host for ''

Hyles lineata ''Hyles lineata'', also known as the white-lined sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. They are sometimes known as the hummingbird moth because of their bird-like size (2-3 inch wingspan) and flight patterns. As caterpillars, they have a ...

'', the white-lined sphinx moth. Historically, the bulbs of ''Smithiastrum prenanthoides'' were consumed as a winter food by

Ohlone The Ohlone, formerly known as Costanoans (from Spanish meaning 'coast dweller'), are a Native American people of the Northern California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the ...

peoples.

Gallery

File:Campanula prenanthoides 2.jpg, Detailed closeup of individual flowering in

Redwood National and State Parks The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three state parks, cooperatively managed, located in the United States along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park (established 1968 ...

File:Campanula prenanthoides 3.jpg, Vegetative habit of ''S. prenanthoides''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q121527650 Campanuloideae Flora of California