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''Chelone'' is a genus of four species of
perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...
s native to eastern North America. They all have similarly shaped flowers (which led to the name turtlehead due to their resemblance to the head of a turtle), which vary in color from white to red, purple or pink. ''Chelone cuthbertii'', '' C. glabra'', and ''C. lyonii'' are
diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respecti ...
and ''C. obliqua'' is either tetraploid or hexaploid, depending on their slight differences in morphology and localities.


Etymology

''Chelone'' is derived from
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
meaning ‘turtle-like’, in reference to its turtle head-shaped corollas.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 103, 276


Relationships to other plants

The closest relative of ''Chelone'' is ''
Nothochelone ''Nothochelone'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the plantain family containing the single species ''Nothochelone nemorosa'', which is known by the common name woodland beardtongue. Originally described as ''Penstemon nemorosus'', the ...
'' from western North America. /sup> /sup> ''Nothochelone nemerosa'' is the species most closely related to the genus /sup>. ''Chelone'' is more closely related to it than to other members of the family such as
snapdragon ''Antirrhinum'' is a genus of plants commonly known as dragon flowers, snapdragons and dog flower because of the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are native to ...
s, plantains, and
foxglove ''Digitalis'' ( or ) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials, commonly called foxgloves. ''Digitalis'' is native to Europe, western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are tubular in sh ...
.


Species

'' Chelone glabra'' is the most widely distributed species of the genus: from
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...
to
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
and from
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
to
Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...
; /sup> the other three are found in more restricted areas. ''
Chelone cuthbertii Chelone may refer to: * ''Chelone'' (plant), commonly known as turtleheads * Chelone (Greek mythology) * Chelone formation, Greek term for Testudo formation * Chelone, a genus of sea turtle in the Cheloniidae Cheloniidae is a family of typically ...
'' is found in two areas: the Blue Ridge of North Carolina and the
coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Co ...
of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
. /sup> ''
Chelone lyonii ''Chelone lyonii'', the pink turtlehead or Lyon's shell flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to wet areas of the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States. A deer-tolerant perennial, it is h ...
'' is found in the Blue Ridge of
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
, and
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...
. /sup> ''
Chelone obliqua ''Chelone obliqua'', the red turtlehead, rose turtlehead or pink turtlehead, is a perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Plantaginaceae. This uncommon wildflower is endemic to the United States, where it is found in the Midwestern and ...
'' is found as tetraploids in the Blue Ridge, or hexaploids in two areas:
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
to
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...
and
Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, or the
Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...
from
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...
to
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...
. /sup> The relationship between the different populations is complicated and it appears that ''C. obliqua'' in fact has arisen several times from diploid ancestors of the other three species. /sup> The four species seem to have diverged recently. /sup>


References

*A. D. Nelson. 2012. Chelone. Flora of North America http://floranorthamerica.org/files/Chelone03f.CH%20for%20Prov%20Pub.pdf *NELSON, A.D. 1995. Polyploid evolution in Chelone (Scrophulariaceae). Ph.D. dissertation, University of. Oklahoma, Norman.
Chelone L. Plants of the World OnlineAccepted species Plants of the World Online
* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q965025 Plantaginaceae genera Plantaginaceae Flora of the United States