E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Sanicula arctopoides Hook. & Arn.
snake-root sanicle (bear's-foot sanicle; footsteps of spring)
Apiaceae

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Sanicula arctopoides
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial herb from a taproot; stems prostrate or ascending, 5-30 cm tall, branching.

Leaves:
Basal leaves rosette forming, somewhat succulent, often yellowish, stem leaves reduced, becoming sessile, irregularly toothed or cleft, the blades 2.5-6 cm long, 2.5-9 cm wide.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of several to many compact headlike umbels; flowers yellow; involucel conspicuous, surpassing the heads, the bractlets entire or trilobed.

Fruits:
Egg-shaped to subglobose, 2-5 mm long, covered with stout, hooked prickles.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic coastal bluffs in the lowland zone; rare in SW BC, known from SE Vancouver Island; S to CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Similar Species

In B.C., Sanicula arctopoides is prostrate and has distinct involucels and yellow flowers, whereas Sanicula bipinnatifida has a more erect form, purple flowers, and no involucel. S. arctopoides is prostrate, has distinct involucels, and is found strictly in dry maritime meadows, whereas Sanicula crassicaulis has a more erect form, no involucel, and tends to grow in slightly deeper soil over a broader range of habitats.

Source: British Columbia Conservation Data Centre

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S2	Red	T (Nov 2015)

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Sanicula howellii (Coult. & Rose) Shan & Constance
Sanicula howellii (J.M. Coult. & Rose) Shan & Constance
Sanicula crassicaulis var. howellii (Coult. & Rose) Mathias

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-13 1:07:59 AM ]

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