BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Melanthium latifolium | Slender Bunchflower 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Slender bunchflower is a native, bulbous, perennial herb with an open
terminal panicle on a stem that grows 1.6 to 5 feet (0.5-1.6 m) tall.
The leaves are mostly basal and are 0.4 to 2.8 inches (1-7 cm) wide. The
fruit is a capsule.  Seeds are winged.  Underground vegetative parts
consist of a 0.2- to 0.7-inch (0.6-1.7 cm) diameter bulb composed of the
thickened bases of basal leaves.  Attached to the bulb base is a short
rhizome.  Roots arise from the peripheral area of the bulb at the
junction with the rhizome.  There are often at least two series of
lateral roots which are radially segmented and branch distally [1].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Geophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Bunchflowers flower irregularly.  Bodkin [1] estimated that less than 20
percent of bunchflower plants in the Appalachian Mountains flower in any
given year.  During 5 years of observations of a slender bunchflower
population in Shenandoah National Park, only 7 of approximately 50
plants flowered [1].

The winged seeds are presumably dispersed by wind.  

In a germination experiment, no slender bunchflower seeds germinated
under a variety of conditions although some dissected seeds contained
embryos [1].

Bodkin [1] suggested that slender bunchflower reproduction may be
primarily vegetative.


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Slender bunchflower occurs on slopes and in ravines, gorges, and coves.
It grows on rich, moist sites on rocky, well-drained soils.  Although
soils may appear dry, the roots of slender bunchflower usually penetrate
to moister subsoils [1].  Slender bunchflower occurred on a rock outcrop
with seepage in the Thompson River Gorge in South Carolina [18].
Slender bunchflower generally occurs from 1,000 to 5,500 feet (305-1,677
m) elevation [1].  It is restricted to areas of high elevation in
eastern Tennessee [10].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Slender bunchflower is shade tolerant.  It occurs in dense, shaded
habitats [1] and is not reported as occurring on open, sunny sites.


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Slender bunchflower flowers from July to August, and fruits ripen
September through October [1,11,19].

Related categories for Species: Melanthium latifolium | Slender Bunchflower