Alkali-Grass

Anticlea elegans is a flowering plant in the Melanthiaceae family, found across much of North America. It is absent from certain regions such as California, Baja California, the deep southeastern U.S., and northern Canada. The species is divided into three subspecies: subsp. elegans, subsp. glauca, and subsp. vaginata. Subsp. vaginata is believed to have arisen from a vicariance event at the end of the Pleistocene, with populations diverging genetically over time. Subsp. glauca was historically present in five U.S. states, but two populations are now extinct in the wild. Pollination of A. elegans remains poorly understood, though in Idaho, it is likely primarily pollinated by flies.