Fauria crista-galli – deer cabbage
Common Name
deer cabbage
Family
Menyanthaceae
Scientific Name
Fauria crista-galli
Alternate Scientific Name
- Nephrophylldium crista-galli
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
- Wet (W)
- Very Wet (VW)
Soil Nutrient Regime (SNR)
- Poor (P)
Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Manual © 1973. Reprinted with permission of the University of Washington Press.
Photo Gallery
General / Habitat
- Perennial herb
- Common in bogs, swamps and wet forests
- Low to subalpine elevations
Key Identifying Characteristics
- Form: Shallow rhizomes covered in old leaf-bases, flowering stems leafless and 10-50 cm tall
- Leaves: All basal, kidney- to heart-shaped, thick, toothed, 5-14 cm wide, stalks 10-30 cm long
- Flowers: White, petals fused at base into short tubes, 5-lobed petals wavy on midveins and margins, 5-30 in loose clusters
- Fruit: Egg-shaped capsules with 1 chamber containing shiny seeds
Lookalikes
- Marsh marigold (Caltha biflora) looks similar when non-reproductive
- lobes at the base of marsh marigold’s leaves typically overlap
Interesting Characteristics
- Flowers are foul-odoured (like mildew or bad cheese) to attract pollinating flies
External References
Sources
Douglas, G.W. et al (Editors). 1998-2002. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Volumes 1 to 8. B.C. Min. Environ., Lands and Parks, and B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C.
Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon. 2014. Plants of Coastal British Columbia Including Washington, Oregon & Alaska. B.C. Ministry of Forestry and Lone Pine Publishing. Vancouver, B.C.