Phytolacca americana L. var. rigida (Small) Caulkins & Wyatt

Locations ofPhytolacca americana L. var. rigida (Small) Caulkins & Wyatt in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Phytolaccaceae
Botanical Name
Phytolacca americana L. var. rigida (Small) Caulkins & Wyatt
Common Name
Seaside Pokeweed
Synonym(s)
Phytolacca rigida Small
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Phytolacca americana var. rigida (Small) Caulkins & Wyatt
Comments
Flora of the Southeastern U.S. says the two Phytolacca taxa "seem distinct at species rank." FNA says "the two vars. are not always distinct." The jury may still be out, and we will continue to follow the traditional, varietal treatment until greater consensus is achieved. Compared with var. americana, var. rigida has shorter, erect panicles and short pedicels, but apparently the differential characters are not discontinuous and character states are variously combined on intermediate plants. See Caulkins & Wyatt (1990, Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 117: 357-367); also A comparison of Phytolacca americana and P. rigida, Castanea 29:155-164 (1964).
Habitat
Dune woodlands and scrub. Rare, s. Coastal Plain; known only from Virginia Beach City.
Native Status
Native

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