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Scoliopus bigelovii
CALIFORNIA FETID ADDER'S TONGUE;
BROWNIES; SLINK POD
BLOOM PERIOD: January - February
As in other members of the lily family, the flower parts of
this early blooming wildflower appear in groups of three.
The most "conspicuous" parts of these cryptic little flowers
are the sepals with their finely etched lines of deep maroon.
The actual petals are smaller, threadlike, and upcurving,
surrounding the three-part stigma.
Also look for the three short stamens with anthers that turn from green to
purple to golden as they mature and release their pollen.
The name Scoliopus means crooked foot,
from the curving pedicel or stalk of the flower.
When the plant first appears in the spring, the flower stalks stand up
straight, holding the flower above the two leaves which are still quite small.
After the flower has been pollinated, the fruit or seed pod begins to swell
and the flower parts fall off. The weight of the growing pod causes the slender
stalk to bend over and touch the ground, thus the common name "slink pod".
Notice that the distance between plants is about the length of
the pedicels.
This is no coincidence. Instead of broadcasting their seeds
as most flowering plants do, the seed pod goes into the ground while still
attached to the "mother plant". The species name bigelovii honors
John Milton Bigelow, a surgeon and botanist from Ohio.
By the time the flowers have disappeared, the mottled leaves have grown
quite large and will be conspicuous for months. These give rise to the
name "adder's tongue". The "fetid" part of the name coming from the odor
of the fresh flower. Fortunately, this is no more conspicuous than the flower
itself and you will probably only notice it as you kneel on all fours to
get a closer look at the flower. The odor is thought to attract pollinators.
Mary Elizabeth Parsons in
The Wild Flowers of California, 1897:
"When the flowers first open they stand erect, held in the shining chalice
formed by the two sheathing green leaves. Later the leaves open out,
showing their beautiful blotched surfaces, and the three-angled flower-stems
become limp and twisted."
John Thomas Howell in Marin Flora, 1949:
"One of the first plants to bloom after the beginning of the rainy season,
the Fetid Adder's Tongue thrusts its queer ill-scented flowers from the pair of
closely rolled leaves as soon as they are above ground. By the time the attractive
brown-spotted leaves are developed, the first fruits are already well formed at
the ends of elongate sprawling twisting pedicels. This remarkable plant was
discovered by Bigelow at "Tamul Pass" in 1854."
Where to see Scoliopus bigelovii in Marin County
John Thomas Howell in Marin Flora lists Sausalito, Muir Woods, Mount Tamalpais
(Blithedale canyon, Cataract Gulch, Fish Grade), Bolinas Ridge, San Geronimo Ridge, and
San Rafael Hills for Marin County locations.
A beautiful place to see Scoliopus bigelovii here in Marin County is
Muir Woods National Monument.
Cascade Falls in Mill Valley is an easy place to see Scoliopus bigelovii.
From downtown Mill Valley, take Throckmorton past the public library all the way
to the end where it intersects Cascade. Turn right onto Cascade and watch for a small
parking lot on the right with a wooden sign reading CASCADE FALLS.
Distribution:
Scoliopus bigelovii grows in the moist shade of redwood forests in the
San Francisco Bay Area and the outer North Coast Ranges. While they are
found growing with Sequoia sempervirens, their range is more limited
both to the south and to the north. The range of Scoliopus bigelovii
extends to Santa Cruz County to the south and to Humboldt County in the north.
In the Flora of the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, John Hunter Thomas lists its
locations as Pilarcitos Lake, La Honda, Kings Mountain, Woodside Hills,
Los Gatos, Waddell Creek, and near Santa Cruz.
You can view a distribution map like this for any plant included in The
Jepson Manual by going to the web site maintained by
the Jepson Herbarium.
The only other species of Scoliopus is the Oregon Fetid Adder's Tongue,
Scoliopus hallii, a somewhat smaller but very similar plant native to
the west slope of the Cascade Mountains and the Coast Mountains in Oregon.
More Scoliopus bigelovii photographs on the internet:
CalPhotos has 33 images of Scoliopus bigelovii
