Synonym(s): Chelone chlorantha, Chelone glabra var. chlorantha, Chelone glabra var. dilatata, Chelone glabra var. elatior, Chelone glabra var. elongata, Chelone glabra var. linifolia, Chelone glabra var. ochroleuca, Chelone glabra var. typica, Chelone montana Cultivar(s): Black Ace, Turtle Bloom
Image ID: 12401
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library
PLANT INDEX
ID_PLANT: CHGL2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Chelone glabra
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-10-16
GENUS CODE: CHELO GENUS SCIENTIFIC:Chelone GENUS AUTHORITY: L. GENUS COMMON: Turtlehead GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 4 species, perennial herbs, of e. North America. GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: The four fertile stamens are inserted on either side of the corolla near its base and are flattened and conspicuously pilose. The single staminodium (the color of which is used in the key) is much shorter (often only a few mm long), and is inserted uppermost on the corolla near its base. GENUS REFERENCES: Nelson in FNA (in prep.); Nelson, Elisens, & Benesh (1998); Pennell (1935)=P.
FAMILY INDEX
FAMILY CODE: PLANTA FAMILY SCIENTIFIC:Plantaginaceae FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789 FAMILY COMMON: Plantain Family FAMILY SUMMARY: As radically recircumscribed, a family of about 120 genera and 1800 species. FAMILY REFERENCE: Albach, Meudt, & Oxelman (2005); Olmstead et al. (2001); Schwarzbach in Kadereit (2004); Fischer in Kadereit (2004).
NCBG DESCRIPTIVES
INTRO:Erectperennial of stream banks, seeps and swamp forests. STEMS: Stems simple or sparingly branched, smooth. LEAVES: Leaves opposite, short petiolate or subsessile, lance-shaped tapering to a sharp tip, 4-7 in. long, toothed. INFLORESCENCE: FLOWERS: Flowers in dense terminal spikes, each resting on a leafy bract that mostly conceals the stalk; white but pink-tinged at tip; 1--1½ in. long; bilaterally symmetric; inflated-tubular and consisting of a hoodlike upper lip, a 3-lobed lower lip bearing a white or yellowish beard, 4 fertile stamens and a single green-tipped sterile stamen. FRUITS:Fruit a broadly oval capsule. COMMENTS: HEIGHT: 2-5 ft. DURATION:
Perennial
HABIT:
Herb
LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
Opposite LEAF COMPLEXITY:
Simple LEAF RETENTION: FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
Bilateral (Zygomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: Jul-Oct
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
x
x
x
x
x
BLOOM COLOR: White and pink
White
Red
Pink
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Lavender
Purple
Violet
Brown
Not Applicable
x
x
FRUITING PERIOD: Sep-Nov. DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bogs/pocosins, Bottomlands, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Chelone glabra is best grown in moist to wet, rich, humusy soils in part shade; too much shade, and it may require staking. White turtlehead is found throughout Eastern North America. It is usually found along moist streams, and bottomlands. It spreads slowly by rhizomes and can eventually make small stands in the right conditions. The distinctive shape of its flower gives the plant its common and genus name. Chelone is derived from Greek for tortoise. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and some lepidoptera.
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast
WEAKLEY FLORA
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Chelone glabra
COMMON NAME: White Turtlehead
SYNONYMY: [= C, FNA, GW, K1, K2, Mo, Pa, RAB, Tn, Va, W; > C. glabra var. dilatata Fernald & Wiegand - F; > C. glabra var. elatior Rafinesque - F, G, S; > C. glabra var. elongata - F, G, S; > C. glabra var. ochroleuca Pennell & Wherry - F, G, S; > C. glabra ssp. ochroleuca (Pennell & Wherry) Pennell - P; > C. glabra var. glabra - F, G, S; > C. glabra ssp. chlorantha (Pennell & Wherry) Pennell - P; > C. glabra ssp. dilatata (Fernald & Wiegand) Pennell - P; > C. glabra ssp. elatior (Rafinesque ) Pennell - P; > C. glabra ssp. elongata (Pennell & Wherry) Pennell - P; > C. glabra ssp. typica - P; > C. chlorantha Pennell & Wherry - S; > C. montana (Rafinesque) Pennell & Wherry var. montana - S; > C. montana var. elatior (Rafinesque) Small - S]
PHENOLOGY: Jul-Oct; Sep-Nov.
HABITAT: Streambanks, seeps, swamp forests.
COMMENTS: NL (Newfoundland) and MN south to GA and AL. The named varieties (or subspecies) are intergrading and the characters used to distinguish them do not correlate well. The species is diploid (Nelson, Elisens, & Benish 1998).
RANGE MAP: Chelone glabra.png
Key to Map SymbolsABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora) Plantaginaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Plantain Family) SUMMARY: As radically recircumscribed, a family of about 120 genera and 1800 species. REFERENCE: Albach, Meudt, & Oxelman (2005); Olmstead et al. (2001); Schwarzbach in Kadereit (2004); Fischer in Kadereit (2004).ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora) Chelone L. (Turtlehead) SUMMARY: A genus of about 4 species, perennial herbs, of e. North America. REFERENCE: Nelson in FNA (in prep.); Nelson, Elisens, & Benesh (1998); Pennell (1935)=P.
HERBARIUM RESOURCES
SERNEC: Find Chelone glabra in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available) UNC SERNEC: Find Chelone glabra in
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)