BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Clintonia uniflora | Queencup Beadlily 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Queencup beadlily is a small, perennial, rhizomatus forb, with a single
white flower about 1 inch (2 cm) long.  Following pollination, a
solitary, smooth, blue berry approximately 0.25 to 0.40 inch (6-10 mm)
long forms on the stem.  The plant has two or three shiny-green basal
leaves which are broad and flat, and about 3 to 6 inches (7-15 cm) long.
Both the stem and leaves are clothed with fine white epidermal hairs
[16,17,23].

Means and ranges of queencup beadlily morphological characteristics are
as follows [2]:

                                 Mean            Range
                                ------          -------
Number of Shoots                 2.90             1-9
Number of Leaves                 5.30             2-15
Total Rhizome Length (cm)      118.00            15-392
Max. Rhizome Depth (cm)          4.80             3-6
Number of Roots                 18.00             8-48
Max. Root Depth (cm)            23.00            15-30
Total Plant Biomass (g)          1.13          0.47-3.69
Max. Age of Live Tissue (yr)    21.30             8-30


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Queencup beadlily generally reproduces through rhizomes located 1.2 to
2.4 inches (3-6 cm) below the soil surface.  In a laboratory study
analyzing germination rates from seeds collected in the fall, queencup
beadlily germinated approximately 250 days after sowing and continued to
germinate steadily for 375 days.  In early fall it germinated faster
(approximately 100 days) and peaked quicker (approximately 140 days)
[25].

Morphological characteristics of queencup beadlily fruit from the
Rainbow Creek Research Natural Area, southeastern Washington, are as
follows [26]:

                                  Mean              Standard Error
                                --------           ----------------
Fruit Diameter (mm)               9.94                   0.15
Fruit Mass (mg)                 435.66                  18.92
Pulp Dry Mass (mg)               16.40                   0.67
No. of Seeds per Fruit            6.76                   0.36
Fresh Seed Mass per Fruit (mg)   82.23                   5.10
Fresh Pulp Mass (mg)              6.85                   0.69

* n=100


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Queencup beadlily occupies moist, coniferous forest areas on high
slopes, benches, and stream terraces.  The elevational distribution of
queencup beadlily ranges from 2,000 to 6,100 feet (555-1,860 m)
[5,24,29].  It tends to occur on warm, moist sites, although it can be
found on all aspects.

Soils:  Queencup beadlily occurs on a variety of soil types ranging from
silty clay loams, loams, to gravelly loams.  Parent materials generally
include granite, quartz, and other noncalcareous substrates.  Volcanic
ash seems to be widely present in the upper soil horizons of most
queencup beadlily habitat types [22].  Soil pH usually ranges from 5.5
to 6.5.


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Obligate Climax Species

Queencup beadlily is an understory indicator species primarily found in
mature forests [5,24,29].  Its understory associates mostly include
twinflower (Linnaea borealis), bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis),
and wintergreen (Pyrola spp.) [19].  Queencup beadlily is often a
dominant understory species, making it a dependable habitat type
indicator.


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Phenological observations for queencup beadlily in northern Idaho and
west of the Continental Divide in Montana from 1928 to 1937 were as
follows [28]:

                      Average    Earliest    Latest    Standard    Number of
                       Date        Date       Date       Error     Observations
                     ---------   --------    -------   ---------  -------------
First Appearance      May 10      Apr 25      May 20       2           13 
Leaves Full Grown    June 21     June  1     July  2       3           13
Flowers Start        June 16      May 30     July  1       3           15
Flowers End          July  1     June 15     July 25       3           15
Fruits Ripe           Aug 11     July 22      Aug 26       3           14
Seed Fall Starts      Aug 19      Aug  1      Aug 31       4            7
Leaves Wither         Aug 23      Aug  1     Sept  1       2           14
Leaves Fallen         Oct  1     Sept 14      Oct  7       2           13
First Frost Injury   Sept 10      Aug 23     Sept 24       4            8

Related categories for Species: Clintonia uniflora | Queencup Beadlily