Parnassia glauca (Glacous Grass of Parnassus) - photos and description
Parnassia glauca growing with Lobelia kalmii in a
forest fen
General: Single, slender stems from a basal rosette. Plants glabrous.
Flowers: Flowers showy, single, terminal on long scapes, we measured a flower at 2.5 cm in diameter.
Leaves: Mostly basal, ovate, thick and fleshy, glaucous. Leaves noticeably veined beneath. We measured a leaf at 6 cm long and 2 cm wide. Scapes occasionally with a single, clasping stem leaf.
Height: Budd's Flora lists height of flower stems to 40 cm. I measured plants to 37 cm tall.
Habitat: Fens and bogs in the boreal forest, often with limey soil.
Abundance: This plant is rare, ranked as an S3 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
Origin: Native.
When and where photographed: The above photos were taken on July 16th, August 5th and August 23rd, in a fen in east central Saskatchewan, 300 km NE of Regina, SK, and a fen in the boreal forest about 350 NE of our home in Regina, SK.