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Rocky Mountain snowlover

Stems

1 or 2(or 3), (3–)5–12(–15) cm, puberulent or retrorsely hairy, sometimes glabrate.

Leaves

basal and proximal cauline, blade oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate or spatulate, 12–78 × 2–18 mm, surfaces glabrous or glabrate;

cauline 1–3 pairs, blade narrowly lanceolate to linear, 8–28 × 1–3 mm.

Racemes

1–5 cm, verticillasters 2–7, continuous, sparsely puberulent and, usually, sparsely glandular-puberulent;

bracts ovate to lanceolate, proximal ones 8–19 × 4–7 mm.

Pedicels

0–4 mm, glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent.

Flowers

calyx tube 8–9 mm, sparsely glandular-puberulent, lobes triangular, 1.5–2.5 × 2–2.5 mm;

corolla greenish white or creamy white, 10–15 mm, glabrous externally, palate and proximal parts of abaxial limb densely white-lanate, hairs to 1.5 mm, tube 3–4 mm, pollen sacs 0.5–0.6 mm, explanate;

staminode 5–7 mm;

style 10–12 mm.

Capsules

8–9.5 × 4.5–6 mm.

Seeds

tan to brown, ellipsoid to fusiform with tail on each end, 3–4.2 mm.

2n

= 16.

Chionophila jamesii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Gravelly slopes, alpine meadows, subalpine bogs.
Elevation 3300–4100 m. (10800–13500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; NM; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Chionophila jamesii occurs in the central Rocky Mountains from the Medicine Bow Mountains of south-central Wyoming to the Culebra Range in Taos County in north-central New Mexico.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 61.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Chionophila
Sibling taxa
C. tweedyi
Name authority Bentham: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 10: 331. (1846)
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