Achlys triphylla, with the common names deer foot, vanilla leaf,[3] or sweet after death, is a plant species native to the mountains of the West Coast of North America.
| Achlys triphylla | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Achlys triphylla (Rood Bridge Park, Hillsboro, Oregon) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Berberidaceae |
| Genus: | Achlys |
| Species: | A. triphylla |
| Binomial name | |
| Achlys triphylla (Sm.) DC. | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
Leontice triphylla Smith in A. Rees | |
Description
editAchlys triphylla is an herb up to 50 centimetres (20 in) tall.[3] It grows in patches of paired stalks, one topped by a leaf, the other a flower spike.[3] The leaf is trifoliate, with leaflets up to 10 cm (4 in) long; the middle leaflet has 3–5 or exceptionally 8 teeth.[3] The dried leaves smell like vanilla.[3]
Blooming from April to June, the flower spike is up to 5 cm (2 in) long, with small flowers lacking petals and sepals, but including 6–13 white stamens.[3]
The paired stalks
Immature flower spike
Mature flowers
Similar species
editThe species resembles A. californica, which has 6–8 (up to 12) teeth on the middle leaflet.[3]
Distribution and habitat
editNative to the woods[3] of mountains of the West Coast of North America, the species has been reported from the Cascades and from the Coast Ranges in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and northern California, at elevations of up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).[4]
Host Associations
editThis plant is the sole host of the west coast endemic aphid Macrosiphum tuberculaceps.[5]
Medicinal uses
editReferences
edit- ↑ "NatureServe Explorer - Achlys triphylla". NatureServe Explorer Achlys triphylla. NatureServe. 2022-05-30. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ↑ The Plant List
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. pp. 409–410. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
- ↑ Flora of North America vol 3
- ↑ "Macrosiphum tuberculaceps (Sweet-after-death aphid) identification, images, ecology, control". influentialpoints.com. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ↑ "Ethnobotany of Western Washington" by Erna Gunther. page 31
External links
edit
Media related to Achlys triphylla at Wikimedia Commons- Jepson eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Achlys triphylla subsp. triphylla
