Cuscuta salina

Cuscuta salina (salt-marsh dodder) lacks chlorophyll and occurs as a symbiont on Salicornia virginica (pickleweed) or less commonly on other salt-marsh species. Stems are yellow to bright orange in color, leaves are much-reduced scales, and flowers are small, bell-shaped and white. This is the only dodder species that occurs in saline environments in our area. Cuscuta salina derives nutrients through haustoria that penetrate the host plant vascular system. Dodder is at least partially attracted to host plants by airborne volatile chemical cues.

Haustorium (pl. haustoria) = a specialized root-like organ used by parasitic plants to draw nourishment from host plants.

Fritillaria affinis

Pretty spectacular, this species. I'm a big fan of a muted pallet of earth tones so this bloom is up there as one of my favorites. Fritillaria affinis (chocolate lily) flowers in midspring and is common in moist meadows and forests and in coastal herbaceous communities. In the Lilaceae (Lily) family. The scent of this inflorescence is subtle but potent and not for the faint-of-heart - a fetid rank scent that attracts fly and insect pollinators. Treated as F. lanceolata in Hitchcock. 

There are three other native Fritillaria and all are easy to tell apart. One is an east side species: F. pudica(yellow bells) with yellow flowers in early spring. F. atropurpurea (spotted mountain bells) occurs in east-side forests, alpine and subalpine communities and has blooms that are similar in color as the chocolate lily but tepals are noticeably shorter, leaves are also thinner. F. camschatcensis (Kamchatka fritillary) occurs from King County north in coastal communities and has maroon-colored blooms with parallel ridges on the inside of the petals (Turner & Gustafson). Fritillary flowers are generally nodding, often mottled, gland-bearing near the base, and have six stamens that are shorter than the tepals (Hitchcock).

Cardamine nuttallii

Cardamine nuttallii (Nuttall's toothwart) is also known as beautiful bittercress because of those showy blooms. The leaves at the base (not shown) are entire and look pretty similar to Cardamine angulata (angeled bittercress).



Cauline leaves (shown below) have 3-5 entire leaflets and occur midway up the stem. This species is common throughout western Washington in moist forests. Family is Brassicaceae (Mustard) - flowers have four petals and four sepals, four tall stamens and two short stamens; seed pods (called silicles or siliques) split open from both sides to expose a clear membrane in the middle; superior, bicarpellate ovaries (Elpel).



cauline = of, on or pertaining to the stem, as leaves arising from the stem above ground level.
silicle = a dry, dehiscent fruit of the Brassicaceae family, typically less than twice as long as wide, with two valves separating from the persistent placentae and septum.
silique = a dry, dehiscent fruit of the Brassicaceae family, typically more than twice as long as wide, with two valves separating from the persistent placentae adn septum.
bicarpellate = with two carpels.
placenta (plural placentae) = the portion of the ovary bearing ovules.
septum (plural septa) = a partition, as the partitions separating the locules of an ovary.
locule = chamber of cavity of an organ, as in teh cell of an ovary containing the seed or the pollen bearing compartment of an anther. (All definitions Harris and Harris)

Synthyris reniformis

Synthyris reniformis (snow queen) is in the Scrophulariaceae family. Leaves are prostrate and covered with fine hairs. If unfamiliar with this species, the first genus that may come to mind is Heuchera. Leaves are shallowly lobed and have toothed margins. Inflorescences are in terminal racemes and are characteristically tubular in shape, violet to blue in color. Hitchcock describes the flower for the genus as campanulate to subrotate (defined below) and unequally four-lobed. Blooms occur in early spring. Leaf shape easily distinguishes this species from others in the genus.

campanulate = bell-shaped
subrotate = almost disc-shaped; flat and circular, as a sympetalous corolla with widely spreading lobes and little or no tube
sympetalous = with the petals united, at least near the base

Scrophulariaceae (figwort) family characteristics include: flowers are bisexual and mostly irregular, 4 or 5 sepals at least partially united, 4 or 5 petals united into a tube usually 2-lipped with 2 lobes above and 3 lobes below, usually four stamens in 2 pairs but a fifth stamen may be present in some species, ovary has a superior position and consists of 2 united carpels (Elpel).