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- Chionodoxa luciliae
Chionodoxa luciliae — Lucile's glory-of-the-snow
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Facts
Lucile's glory-of-the-snow is native to Turkey and widely cultivated as an carpet-forming flower arising from corms in early spring. It was named by Swiss botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810-1885) after his wife Lucile. It rarely escapes cultivation in North America, and in New England it has been collected only in Massachusetts.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- Leaf blade length
- 70–200 mm
- Flower petal color
-
- blue to purple
- white
- Flower petal length
- 12–20 mm
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are fused to form a tube, cup, or bell shape
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
- Fruit length
- 4–6 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Axillary bulblets
- there are no bulblets being produced in axils
-
Flowers
- Anther attachment
- the anther is attached by its base to the filament
- Anther color
- there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused (the number of carpels equals the number of locules)
- Filament surface
- the filament surface has no hairs or scales on it
- Flower bract length
- At least 0 mm
- Flower bracts
-
- there are bracts associated with the flower
- there are no bracts associated with the flower
- Flower number
- 1–3
- Flower orientation
- the flowers point upward or spread or curve outward
- Flower petal color
-
- blue to purple
- white
- Flower petal length
- 12–20 mm
- Flower shape
- the flower is flattened or platter-shaped
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Form of style
- the style is narrow at the tip and unbranched
- Fringed petal edges
- the petals are not fringed
- Hairs on flower stalk
- the flower stalk has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence hair glands
- the axis of the inflorescence has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
- Length of peduncle
- 100–200 mm
- Marks on petals
- the petals have spots or streaks on them
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 3
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals and/or petals
- there are six petals, sepals or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal base
- the petal narrows gradually or does not narrow at the base
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are fused to form a tube, cup, or bell shape
- Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
- there are no hairs on the inner/upper petal surface
- Petal nectaries
- the petals do not have nectaries
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals resemble petals in color and texture
- Sepal length
- 15–25 mm
- Sepal orientation
- the sepals are slightly curved outwards from the plant
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are fused to each other (often along with the petals in monocots), at least near their bases
- Spathe
- the plant does not have a spathe
- Spathe form
- NA
- Spathe length
- 0 mm
- Stamen number
- 6
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamen types
- the stamens within a cycle are distinctly of two types
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
- Stamens fused outwards
- the stamens are fused to the petals or tepals at or near their bases
- Style petal-like
- the style is not broad and flattened like a petal
- Tepals
- the petals and sepals are similar in size and color
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- NA
- Capsule ridges
- there are no ribs or wings on the capsule
- Fruit beak length
- 0 mm
- Fruit compartments
- there are three locules in the fruit
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is round in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 4–6 mm
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
- Fruit width
- 4–6 mm
- Other markings on berry
- NA
-
Glands or sap
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Underground organs
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms
-
Leaves
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade basal lobes
- the leaf blades do not have basal lobes
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf has no stalk
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section
- Leaf blade faces
- both surfaces of the leaf blade are exposed
- Leaf blade form
- Fully-formed (i.e., expanded), +/- green leaf blades are found somewhere on the plant
- Leaf blade length
- 70–200 mm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins are parallel or slightly arched in the direction of the tip
- Leaf blade width
- 10–20 mm
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
- Leaflet number
- 0
- Stipule twining
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on this plant
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the leaves have no particular smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem growth form
- the flowering stem is held upright
- Flowering stem interior
- the flowering stem is solid
- Flowering stem leaves
- there are no true leaves on the flowering stem
- Stem hairs
- the stem is nearly or completely hairless
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Chionodoxa forbesii:
- inflorescence with 4-10 flowers and stems 15-30 cm tall (vs. C. luciliae, with the inflorescence with 1-3 flowers and stems 10-20 cm tall).
- Othocallis siberica:
- tepals essentially distinct, connate for less than 1/10 of their length, and stamens free from the tepals or inserted near the base (vs. C. luciliae, with tepals evidently connate for some distinct and with epipetalous stamens).
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
2. Chionodoxa luciliae Boiss. E
Lucile’s glory-of-the-snow. CT, MA. Edges of lawns, fields, roadsides.