Damasonium californicum
| Damasonium californicum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Alismataceae |
| Genus: | Damasonium |
| Species: | D. californicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Damasonium californicum | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Alisma californicum Micheli | |
Damasonium californicum is a species of perennial wildflower in the water plantain family which is known by the common name fringed water-plantain, or star water-plantain.
D. californicum is a plant of wet environments in the western United States including Washington state, Oregon, northern California, Idaho, Nevada, and Montana. It is a resident of ponds, riversides, and vernal pools.
This is a tough-stemmed plant which may live submersed in water or erect on mud or moist soils. It grows to 20–45 centimeters (8–17+1⁄2 inches) above water. It has narrow basal leaves consisting of a thin blade, 2.5–7.5 cm (1–3 in) long, at the end of a long petiole. The inflorescence yields a flower at the end of each of several long peduncles. The flower has three white or pink petals, each with toothed or fringed ends and sometimes a yellow spot at the base. At the center are six short stamens. After the flower withers the narrow fruits within develop into flat, beaked achenes, several achenes gathered into a star-shaped bunch.