Canadian honewort

not listed

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

not listed

FAC - Facultative

FAC - Facultative

FAC - Facultative

Canadian honewort is a 12″ to 40″ tall, erect, perennial forb that rises on a single stem from a cluster of fibrous roots. It sometimes forms colonies. It does not flower until the second year.

The stems are erect, branched above the middle, light green, and hairless. They are slender, less than 5 ⁄16″ thick.

The leaves are alternate and are divided into 3 leaflets. The terminal leaflet is symmetrical. The two lateral leaflets are asymmetrical, with the lower half (away from the terminal leaflet) usually distinctly wider than the upper half. This causes the leaflets to appear somewhat swept forward. Lower leaves are on leaf stalks (petioles) that are up to 4″ long. The petiole forms a sheath at the base that wraps around the stem. The sheath is not inflated. When flattened out it is less than ⅜″ wide.

The leaflets are lance-shaped, elliptic, or egg-shaped, 1¼″ to 6″ long, and up to 2″ wide. They are sometimes cut into two unevenly-sized lobes. They taper at the base to a winged leaflet stalk (petiolule) and taper at the tip to a sharp point. The upper and lower surfaces are hairless. The margins are toothed with coarse or fine, sharp, forward-pointing teeth. They are sometimes doubly toothed, the major teeth larger and forward-pointing. The lateral veins of the leaflet branch before reaching the margin, and the branches extend to the tips of the major teeth. The leaves become progressively smaller and shorter stalked as they ascend the stem. Upper leaves are stalkless.

The inflorescence is a compound umbel at the end of the stem and each branch appearing in June to July. The umbels are round and 2″ to 3 ″ in diameter, and have 2 to 7 stalks (rays). The rays are ascending, hairless, and 3 ⁄16″ to 2″ long. They are unequal in length length. They are sometimes subtended by a single leaf-like appendage (bract). When present, the bract is linear, sharply pointed, and shorter than the ray. Each ray terminates in a secondary umbel (umbellet).

Each umbellet has 2 to 10 stalked flowers. The stalks (raylets) are 1⁄16″ to 13 ⁄16″long and are unequal in length. They are sometimes subtended by 1 to 3 bractlets. The bractlets, when present, are lance-shaped, up to ⅛″ long, and shorter than the raylets. Each raylet terminates in a single tiny flower.

The flowers have 0 to 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 stamens, and 2 styles. The ovary is hairless. If present, the sepals are reduced in size to to minute teeth. The petals are white, inversely egg-shaped, and rounded or abruptly pointed at the tip.

The fruit is a 2-chambered seedcase (schizocarp). It is green at first, turning dark brown with greenish-yellow ribs at maturity. It is smooth, hairless, narrowly oblong-elliptic, and ⅛″ to ¼″ long. It is more than twice as long as wide. It is slightly flattened laterally and tapers to a short, prolonged extension (beak) at the tip. When ripe, the fruit splits into 2 separate seedcases (mericarps), each with a single seed. Each mericarp has 5 ribs. The ribs are not winged.

12″ to 40″

White

Moderate moisture to moist. Deciduous and mixed forest, woodland margins, stream banks, and thickets. Full shade.

June to July

The roots can be cooked and eaten.

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Common

Deeply lobed leaves

Plant

Leaves

Location: Afton, Washington County

Deeply lobed leaves