Montane, subalpine. Woodlands. Spring, summer.
Lower Stoner Mesa Trail, May 26, 2004.

These dainty plants have fringed flowers and large leaves on arched stems.  They enjoy moist, shady Aspen and coniferous woods.  Fruits are bright orange and red.  The plant is often buried in other greenery and overlooked.

David Don (1799-1841) named this genus in 1839, and Sereno Watson named this species Prosartes trachcarpa in 1871 from specimens he collected in Utah in 1871.  The Disporum trachycarpum name was given by Bentham and Hooker in 1883.

"Prosartes", Greek, means "fastened" and somehow refers to the manner in which the fruit parts are attached.  "Trachycarpum" is also Greek and means "rough fruit".

Prosartes trachycarpum was first collected by John Richardson in the 1820s in Canada.

Weber places Prosartes and Streptopus in Uvulariaceae, not Liliaceae

Montane, subalpine. Woodlands. Spring, summer.
Bear Creek Trail,  May 12, 2009 and Ryman Creek Trail, June 14, 2011.

Montane, subalpine. Woodlands. Spring, summer.
Bear Creek Trail, August 22, 2011.

Subalpine. Woodlands, streamsides. Spring, summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 14, 2006.

Twistedstalk thrives in moist areas near streams and seeps, where it is commonly two or three feet tall; in dry areas it is only a foot tall.  Twistedstalk is an airy, arching, surprising plant.  Hidden under the leaves are small, delicate bell flowers followed by drooping fruits.

A close look shows the reason for the "Streptopus" ("twisted foot") name: each flower hangs from a kinked (twisted) stalk.

Andre Michaux named the Streptopus genus.  Linnaeus named this species Uvularia amplexifolia in 1753 and Alphonse de Candolle renamed it Streptopus amplexifolius in 1805.  Weber believes that Streptopus fassettii is a species distinct from Streptopus amplexifolius.  Löve and Löve named the plant Streptopus fassettii, honoring Norman Fassett, University of Wisconsin Professor of Botany who proposed a reorganization of this genus.  (More biographical information.)

Easterners seeing Streptopus fassettii in the West mistake it for Solomon’s Seal; it can also be confused with Maianthemum amplexicaule, Maianthemum stellatum, and Prosartes trachycarpum (at the top of this page).

Subalpine. Woodlands, streamsides. Spring, summer.
Sharkstooth Trail, July 14, 2006.

The twisted foot, the "twisted stalk", of Streptopus amplexifolius can be seen suspending the flower below the leaf.

Subalpine. Woodlands, streamsides. Spring, summer.
Lizard Head Trail, August 7, 2006.

Subalpine. Woodlands, streamsides. Spring, summer.
Little Taylor Creek Trail, August 20, 2007.

In late summer, following the delicate flowers, berries change from green to orange to red.  Notice the characteristic manner in which the stems arch and lean.  And, of course, as you can see in the bottom picture, the fruit stem has that same most unusual kink in it.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Prosartes trachycarpa

Range map for Streptopus amplexifolius