About Prosartes hookeri Torr.
Prosartes hookeri Torr. is an erect, few-branched perennial herb that grows from a rhizome and reaches up to one meter in height. It has narrow, fuzzy stems that hold wide, oval-shaped, pointed leaves up to 15 centimeters long. Leaves range from hairless to hairy, and often have hairs along their edges and on the veins on their undersides. One to three drooping, hanging flowers grow in inflorescences at the tips of the branches, and these flowers are often hidden beneath the large leaves. Each flower is bell-shaped, with six veiny white to green tepals and six protruding stamens that bear large anthers. The fruit is an orange to bright red berry just under one centimeter wide. This species is native to western North America, ranging from Alberta and British Columbia south to California and east to Montana, where it most often grows in shady, damp environments like forest understories. Additional isolated populations have been recorded in the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota, as well as in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan. On the west coast of North America, a common habitat for Prosartes hookeri is the forest floor of California oak woodlands. Typical understory flora associates in this habitat include Coastal woodfern (Dryopteris arguta), Maidenhair fern (Adiantum jordanii), and False Solomon's seal (Maianthemum racemosum).
