Flora of Oregon

Herbs generally pubescent throughout; roots fibrous, rhizomes slender, knotty.

Stems erect; hairs absent or sharp-branched, generally not glandular, some or all shedding in age; branched distally, scaly below, leafy above; 2–5 bracts, papery, sheathing proximally.

Leaves alternate, sessile or subsessile to more or less clasping; leaf blades ovate to elliptic or oblanceolate, base more or less oblique, cordate to acute, tip acute to acuminate, main veins 3 or more, converging, minor veins forming loose net.

Inflorescences terminal, umbel-like; flowers 1–7, pendulous; pedicels slender.

Flowers tepals 6, in 2 whorls, free, white to more or less green, bases green, generally weakly gibbous proximally, deciduous; stamens 6, hypogynous, free but adnate to tepals at base, filaments filiform to basally dilated, anthers linear-oblong, protruding, generally shorter than filaments, generally glabrous; ovary superior, (1)3-locular, narrowly ellipsoid to obovoid, sessile, ovules 2–6 per locule, pendulous or horizontal; style slender, protruding or not, stigma either entire or weakly 3-lobed.

Fruits berries, straw-colored to orange or red, more or less fleshy.

Seeds ellipsoid to oblong, white or pale yellow to orange-brown, smooth.

North America. 5 species; 3 species treated in Flora.

In the past, Prosartes and Disporum have been sometimes linked together as one genus. Prosartes species, however, are strictly North American, and Disporum species are of Asian origin.

Flora of North America

as described under Prosartes

Herbs, from slender, knotty rhizomes with fibrous roots, generally pubescent throughout. Stems branched distally, with 2-5 papery bracts sheathing proximally. Leaves sessile or subsessile; blade broadly ovate to oblanceolate, veinlets forming loose reticulum. Inflorescences strictly terminal. Flowers 1-4(-7) in a cluster, nodding, pedicellate; tepals deciduous, distinct, weakly gibbous proximally; stamens hypogynous, basally adnate to tepals; filaments filiform to basally dilated; anthers linear-oblong, extrorse; ovary superior, sessile, 3-locular, narrowly ellipsoid to obovoid, ovules 2-6 per locule, pendulous or horizontal; style included or exserted, filiform; stigma not lobed or weakly 3-lobed; pedicel slender. Fruits baccate, straw-colored to red, ± fleshy. Seeds light yellow to orangish brown, ellipsoid to oblong, smooth. x = 6, 8, 9, 11.The American species have long been treated as section Prosartes of the otherwise Asian genus Disporum (H. Hara 1988; Q. Jones 1951). However, cytological, morphological, and molecular evidence indicates a degree of difference that justifies generic status for this group (M. N. Tamura et al. 1992; Z. K. Shinwari et al. 1994; T. Fukuhara and Z. K. Shinwari 1994). Within Prosartes there are two disjunct, east-west pairs: P. lanuginosa and P. hookeri, and P. trachycarpa and P. maculata (F. H. Utech et al. 1995; C. E. Wood Jr. 1970).