Tofieldia pusilla (Michx.) Pers.
common false asphodel (Scotch false asphodel)
Tofieldiaceae
(Previously in Liliaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
common false asphodel (Scotch false asphodel)
Tofieldiaceae
(Previously in Liliaceae)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Photograph
© Alfred Cook (Photo ID #11233)
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a short rhizome; flowering stems erect, 5-20 (25) cm tall, very slender, smooth.
Leaves:
Basal leaves several to many, in fan-like tufts, linear, 2-9 cm long, 1-4 mm wide, usually 3-veined, smooth, sheathing at the base, folded in iris-like fashion, the margins entire; stem leaves lacking or occasionally 1, bract-like and near the base.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a compact, head- to spike-like, 0.5- to 3-cm long, terminal cluster of several to many short-stalked flowers, the stalks with bracts at the base; flowers greenish-white, cup-shaped, of 6 similar, distinct tepals, the tepals narrowly oblong, 1.5-3 mm long, spreading; stamens 6; pistil 1, 3-chambered.
Fruits:
Capsules, 3-lobed and 3-beaked, erect, greenish to straw-coloured, 2-3 mm long; seeds numerous, enclosed in spongy coats, without appendages.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Tofieldia pusilla
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1326 | 676 | 1990 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
9 | 0 | 50 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
1 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 2 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
36 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SWB | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BAFA(5), BWBS(6), ESSF(8), ICH(2), MS(2), SBS(2), SWB(8) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to wet, gravelly flushes, fens, marshy meadows, thickets, turfy shorelines and streambanks in the montane to alpine zones; infrequent in E and N BC, rare in SC BC (Bridge River); circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to ND, MI and MN; Greenland, Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Narthecium pusillum Michx.
Tofieldia borealis
Tofieldia palustris auct. non Huds.