Burke: Micranthes oregana vs. Micranthes tolmiei

	Micranthes oregana	Micranthes tolmiei
	bog saxifrage, Oregon saxifrage	alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's saxifrage
Habit	Strong perennial from a short, woody base, the flowering stems leafless, 3-12 dm. tall, copiously glandular-pubescent above.	Low, mat-forming perennial with numerous sterile, leafy branches, the flowering stems erect, 3-8 cm. tall, glabrous or pubescent with purplish-tipped hairs.
Leaves	Leaves basal, 10-20 cm. long, contracted to a broadly-winged petiole, the blades elliptic-oblanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, entire or shallowly toothed, nearly glabrous, but with soft hairs on the petiole margins.	Leaves glabrous, entire, fleshy and nearly terete, 3-10 mm. long, spatulate to oblanceolate, narrowed to a broad base; cauline leaves usually none, occasionally 1-3, reduced.
Flowers	Inflorescence an elongate panicle, narrow to somewhat diffuse; calyx 2-3.5 mm. long, the 5 reflexed lobes oblong lanceolate; petals white to greenish-white, usually 5 but sometimes 1 or more lacking, often unequal in size, obovate to ovate-oblong, 2-4 mm. long and 1-2.5 broad; stamens 10, filaments broadly club-shaped, 1-2 mm. long, greenish-white to pinkish.	Flowers terminal and single, or 2-4 in a loose inflorescence; calyx saucer-shaped, glabrous, often purplish-tinged, the 5 oval, spreading lobes 2-3 mm. long; petals 5, white, up to twice as long as the calyx lobes, broadly oblanceolate, narrowed to the base; stamens 10, the filaments somewhat petaloid.
Fruits	Ovary nearly superior in fruit; carpels 2-4.	Ovary about 1/4 inferior at flowering; capsule ovoid, 8-12 mm. long, purplish-mottled; carpels sometimes 3 or more.

	Micranthes oregana	Micranthes tolmiei
Flowering time	April-July	June-September
Habitat	Bogs, streambanks and wet meadows at mid-elevations in the mountains.	Mountain meadows, scree, and rock crevices at moderate to high elevations.
Distribution	Both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Alberta, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Colorado. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring in the Olympic and Cascade mountains in Washington; Alaska south to California, east to Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Utah. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	M. apetala, M. ferruginea, M. fragosa, M. gormanii, M. idahoensis, M. integrifolia, M. lyallii, M. nelsoniana, M. nidifica, M. occidentalis, M. odontoloma, M. rufidula, M. tischii, M. tolmiei	M. apetala, M. ferruginea, M. fragosa, M. gormanii, M. idahoensis, M. integrifolia, M. lyallii, M. nelsoniana, M. nidifica, M. occidentalis, M. odontoloma, M. oregana, M. rufidula, M. tischii
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Micranthes tolmiei

bog saxifrage, Oregon saxifrage

alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's saxifrage

Habit

Strong perennial from a short, woody base, the flowering stems leafless, 3-12 dm. tall, copiously glandular-pubescent above.

Low, mat-forming perennial with numerous sterile, leafy branches, the flowering stems erect, 3-8 cm. tall, glabrous or pubescent with purplish-tipped hairs.

Leaves

Leaves basal, 10-20 cm. long, contracted to a broadly-winged petiole, the blades elliptic-oblanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, entire or shallowly toothed, nearly glabrous, but with soft hairs on the petiole margins.

Leaves glabrous, entire, fleshy and nearly terete, 3-10 mm. long, spatulate to oblanceolate, narrowed to a broad base;

cauline leaves usually none, occasionally 1-3, reduced.

Flowers

Inflorescence an elongate panicle, narrow to somewhat diffuse;

calyx 2-3.5 mm. long, the 5 reflexed lobes oblong lanceolate;

petals white to greenish-white, usually 5 but sometimes 1 or more lacking, often unequal in size, obovate to ovate-oblong, 2-4 mm. long and 1-2.5 broad;

stamens 10, filaments broadly club-shaped, 1-2 mm. long, greenish-white to pinkish.

Flowers terminal and single, or 2-4 in a loose inflorescence;

calyx saucer-shaped, glabrous, often purplish-tinged, the 5 oval, spreading lobes 2-3 mm. long;

petals 5, white, up to twice as long as the calyx lobes, broadly oblanceolate, narrowed to the base;

stamens 10, the filaments somewhat petaloid.

Fruits

Ovary nearly superior in fruit;

carpels 2-4.

Ovary about 1/4 inferior at flowering; capsule ovoid, 8-12 mm. long, purplish-mottled;

carpels sometimes 3 or more.