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| Enchanter's nightshade | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Onagraceae |
| Genus: | Circaea |
| Species: | C. alpina
|
| Binomial name | |
| Circaea alpina | |
| |
| Range within North America | |
Circaea alpina, commonly called alpine enchanter's nightshade, small enchanter's nightshade, or dwarf enchanter's nightshade is a 10–30 cm tall perennial herb found in cool forests of the Northern Hemisphere.[2][3][4]
Description
[edit]The leaves are opposite, ovate, 2–6 cm and coarsely dentate. The 1.5–4 cm (0.6–1.6 in) petioles have a wing beneath. The flowers and fruits are clustered near the top of the fruiting raceme; each raceme bears 15 or less white or pink flowers in mid-May through early September.[5][6][7] Each flower has two white to light pink petals 1–1.5 mm (0.04–0.06 in) long with two lobes. The two white sepals are 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long.[5] The fruit is a small bur with one seed. C. alpina can reproduce vegetatively and via stolons.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]Circaea alpina was given its scientific name by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is classified in the genus Circaea within the Onagraceae family. According to Plants of the World Online it has six accepted subspecies:[8]
- Circaea alpina subsp. alpina – Widespread in the northern hemisphere[9]
- Circaea alpina subsp. angustifolia (Hand.-Mazz.) Boufford – Native to China and Tibet[10]
- Circaea alpina subsp. caulescens (Kom.) Tatew. – Native to Asia[11]
- Circaea alpina subsp. imaicola (Asch. & Magnus) Kitam. – Native to southern Asia[12]
- Circaea alpina subsp. micrantha (A.K.Skvortsov) Boufford – Northern Pakistan to Central China and northern Myanmar[13]
- Circaea alpina subsp. pacifica (Asch. & Magnus) P.H.Raven – Western North America[14]
Circaea alpina has 46 synonyms of the species or one of its subspecies, 16 of which are species.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
| Name | Year | Rank | Synonym of: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlostephania minor Bubani | 1899 | species | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea alpestris Schur | 1866 | species | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea alpina var. aleutica Nieuwl. | 1914 | variety | subsp. pacifica | = het. |
| Circaea alpina var. caulescens Kom. | 1905 | variety | subsp. caulescens | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea alpina f. composita Lasch | 1827 | form | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea alpina var. fertilis Döll | 1843 | variety | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea alpina var. imaicola (Asch. & Magnus) Asch. & Magnus | 1870 | variety | subsp. imaicola | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea alpina f. imaicola Asch. & Magnus | 1870 | form | subsp. imaicola | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea alpina var. minor Schrad. | 1806 | variety | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea alpina var. pacifica (Asch. & Magnus) M.E.Jones | 1910 | variety | subsp. pacifica | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea alpina f. pacifica (Asch. & Magnus) G.N.Jones | 1936 | form | subsp. pacifica | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea alpina var. pilosula (H.Hara) H.Hara | 1944 | variety | subsp. caulescens | = het. |
| Circaea alpina f. pilosula (H.Hara) Kitag. | 1979 | form | subsp. caulescens | = het. |
| Circaea alpina f. ramosa Lasch | 1827 | form | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea alpina f. simplicissima Lasch | 1827 | form | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea caucasica A.K.Skvortsov | 1970 | species | subsp. caulescens | = het. |
| Circaea caulescens (Kom.) Nakai ex H.Hara | 1934 | species | subsp. caulescens | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea caulescens var. glabra H.Hara | 1934 | variety | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea caulescens var. pilosula H.Hara | 1934 | variety | subsp. caulescens | = het. |
| Circaea caulescens f. ramosissima H.Hara | 1934 | form | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea caulescens var. robusta Nakai ex H.Hara | 1934 | variety | subsp. caulescens | = het. |
| Circaea caulescens var. rosulata H.Hara | 1934 | variety | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea caulescens f. rosulata H.Hara | 1934 | form | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea cordifolia Stokes | 1812 | species | subsp. alpina | = het., pro syn. |
| Circaea decumbens Gilib. | 1782 | species | subsp. alpina | = het., opus utique oppr. |
| Circaea × dubia var. makinoi makinoi H.Hara | 1959 | variety | subsp. caulescens | = het. |
| Circaea hohuanensis S.S.Ying | 1997 | species | subsp. imaicola | = het. |
| Circaea imaicola (Asch. & Magnus) Hand.-Mazz. | 1933 | species | subsp. imaicola | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea imaicola var. angustifolia Hand.-Mazz. | 1933 | variety | subsp. angustifolia | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea imaicola var. mairei (H.Lév.) Hand.-Mazz. | 1933 | variety | subsp. angustifolia | = het. |
| Circaea lutetiana subsp. alpina (L.) H.Lév. | 1898 | subspecies | C. alpina | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea lutetiana var. alpestris Schur | 1866 | variety | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea lutetiana var. alpina (L.) Torr. | 1841 | variety | C. alpina | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea lutetiana proles alpina (L.) H.Lév. | 1912 | proles | C. alpina | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea lutetiana var. mairei H.Lév. | 1912 | variety | subsp. angustifolia | = het. |
| Circaea micrantha A.K.Skvortsov | 1977 | species | subsp. micrantha | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea minima Mill. | 1771 | species | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea minutula Ohwi | 1933 | species | subsp. imaicola | = het. |
| Circaea pacifica Asch. & Magnus | 1871 | species | subsp. pacifica | ≡ hom. |
| Circaea pacifica f. dentata H.Lév. | 1912 | form | subsp. alpina | = het. |
| Circaea pricei Hayata | 1915 | species | subsp. imaicola | = het. |
| Circaea pricei var. mairei (H.Lév.) Hand.-Mazz. | 1936 | variety | subsp. angustifolia | = het. |
| Circaea racemosa var. alpina (L.) Hill | 1799 | variety | C. alpina | ≡ hom., nom. superfl. |
| Circaea taiwaniana S.S.Ying | 1978 | species | subsp. imaicola | = het. |
| Ocimastrum minimum Rupr. | 1860 | species | C. alpina | ≡ hom., nom. superfl. |
| Regmus alpinus (L.) Dulac | 1867 | species | C. alpina | ≡ hom. |
| Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym ; = heterotypic synonym | ||||
Distribution
[edit]In North America, Circaea alpina is distributed throughout all of Canada and North Carolina through Maine and New Mexico through Washington.[15][16] In Eurasia, the range of C. alpina includes Northern Europe south to Albania and Bulgaria and east to Korea and Japan.[2] C. alpina prefers a moist, upland habitat.[17] It is generally found in forests or near streams from sea level to 3,000 metres (10,000 ft).[15]
Hybrids
[edit]Circaea alpina will hybridize with Circaea lutetiana producing sterile offspring that persists in vegetative colonies.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ NatureServe (4 April 2025). "Circaea alpina". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Species details : Circaea alpina". ITIS: Catalogue of Life. Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ a b "Alpine Enchanter's Nightshade". Naturegate. Archived from the original on 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ "Circaea alpina (Alpine Enchanter's Nightshade)". www.minnesotawildflowers.info. Minnesota: Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. 2024-07-20. Archived from the original on 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ a b Klinkenberg, Brian, ed. (2014). "Circaea alpina". 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. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ Giblin, David, ed. (2015). "Circaea alpina". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ "Circaea alpina". Jepson eFlora: Taxon page. Jepson Herbarium; University of California, Berkeley. 2015. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ a b "Circaea alpina L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Circaea alpina subsp. alpina". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Circaea alpina subsp. angustifolia (Hand.-Mazz.) Boufford". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Circaea alpina subsp. caulescens (Kom.) Tatew". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Circaea alpina subsp. imaicola (Asch. & Magnus) Kitam". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Circaea alpina subsp. micrantha (A.K.Skvortsov) Boufford". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Circaea alpina subsp. pacifica (Asch. & Magnus) P.H.Raven". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Steven. K. (2015). "Circaea alpina". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ "Circaea alpina". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2015. Retrieved 2016-08-02.
- ^ a b Rhoads, Block (2007-09-05). The Plants of Pennsylvania (2 ed.). University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-4003-0.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Circaea alpina at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Circaea alpina at Wikispecies
