Fragrant sanicle

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Fragrant sanicle

Fragrant sanicle

Fragrant sanicle

Fragrant sanicle

Morphology

Stem

Erect, branched distally, glabrous.

Leaves

Alternate, basal and cauline; blade 3-, 5-, or (7-) palmately compound or lobed, nearly orbiculate in outline; leaflets obovate to oblanceolate, margins serrate to doubly serrate, sometimes deeply incised distally, surfaces glabrous. Basal leaves: petiole 3.2 to 10 inches; blade 1.2 to 6.8 inches long, 2 to 7.2 inches wide; leaflets .8 to 6 inches, ultimate segments .4 to 1.6 inch wide. Cauline leaves gradually reduced distally on stem; petiole present or absent; blade mostly 3-, or 5-palmately compound or lobed.

Inflorescence

Terminal and sometimes axillary, compound umbels; peduncles 1.6 to 4.8 inches; involucral bracts (1-)2(-3); rays 2-3, .4 to 2.4 inches, unequal; umbellets with mixture of 12-25 staminate and 2-8 bisexual flowers or up to 60 all staminate flowers; involucel bractlets usually 8, lanceolate, .03 to .05 inch. Pedicels of bisexual flowers .02 to .04 inch, pedicels of staminate flowers .02 to .12 inch.

Flower

Calyx lobes triangular-ovate; .02 to .03 inch; petals greenish yellow, broadly obovate; stamens 5, filaments distinct; pistil 1; styles 2, often swollen at base; stigmas 2, styles of bisexual flowers longer than bristles of schizocarps.

Fruit

Schizocarps, nearly globose, .12 to .2 inches long, .12 to .16 inch wide, densely bristly; bristles hooked, .04 to .08 inch, splitting at maturity into 2 mericarps; mericarps olive or brownish olive. Seeds 1 per mericarp.

Ecology

Habitat

Maple-basswood, floodplain, and oak-hickory forests, forested bluffs, stream banks.

Distribution

East 1/3 of Kansas

Practical Information

Uses

The Meskwaki inhaled the steam of a plant burning on hot stones to treat nosebleeds (Moerman 1998).

Additional Notes

Synonyms

Alternative scientific names that have been used for this plant.