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Carolina spring-beauty

broad leaf springbeauty, cordate-leaf spring beauty, heart-leaf spring-beauty

Habit Plants perennial, with globose tubers 10–20 mm diam.; periderm 1–5 mm. Plants perennial, rhizomatous; rhizomes 4–8 mm diam.; periderm absent.
Stems

6–25 cm.

5–30 cm.

Leaves

basal leaves 6–21, petiolate, blade elliptic or spatulate, 3–5 × 1–3 cm;

cauline leaves abruptly petiolate, blade lanceolate to spatulate or ovate, 4–8 × 0.5–2.5 cm.

basal leaves petiolate, blade ovate to deltate or cordate, 2–7 × 1–5 cm;

cauline leaves sessile, blade ovate, 1–4 cm.

Inflorescences

1-bracteate (rarely with 2 bracts).

ebracteate.

Flowers

8–12 mm diam.;

sepals 3–5 mm;

petals white, pink, or candy-striped, 6–10 mm;

ovules 6.

10–15 mm diam.;

sepals 4–8 mm;

petals white, 8–12 mm;

ovules 6.

Seeds

2–4 mm, shiny and smooth;

elaiosome 1–2 mm.

(1–)6, 1–2 mm diam., shiny and smooth;

elaiosome 1 mm or less.

2n

= 16, 24, 25, 26, 27, 36, 38.

= 10, 20.

Claytonia caroliniana

Claytonia cordifolia

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Wetlands and riparian hardwood forests Meadows, seeps
Elevation 0-1400 m (0-4600 ft) 500-2000 m (1600-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; GA; IA; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NY; PA; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 467. FNA vol. 4.
Parent taxa Portulacaceae > Claytonia Portulacaceae > Claytonia
Sibling taxa
C. acutifolia, C. arctica, C. arenicola, C. cordifolia, C. exigua, C. gypsophiloides, C. lanceolata, C. megarhiza, C. multiscapa, C. nevadensis, C. ogilviensis, C. palustris, C. parviflora, C. perfoliata, C. rosea, C. rubra, C. sarmentosa, C. saxosa, C. scammaniana, C. sibirica, C. tuberosa, C. umbellata, C. virginica, C. washingtoniana
C. acutifolia, C. arctica, C. arenicola, C. caroliniana, C. exigua, C. gypsophiloides, C. lanceolata, C. megarhiza, C. multiscapa, C. nevadensis, C. ogilviensis, C. palustris, C. parviflora, C. perfoliata, C. rosea, C. rubra, C. sarmentosa, C. saxosa, C. scammaniana, C. sibirica, C. tuberosa, C. umbellata, C. virginica, C. washingtoniana
Synonyms C. caroliniana var. lewisii, C. caroliniana var. spatulifolia C. sibirica var. cordifolia, Montia cordifolia
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 160. (1803) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 365. (1882)
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