Claytonia megarhiza(synonym of Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis) |
Claytonia multiscapa |
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alpine springbeauty |
lanceleaf springbeauty, Rydberg's spring-beauty |
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Habit | Plants perennial, with stout, woody caudices; periderm 5–12 mm. | Plants perennial, with globose tubers 10–30 mm diam.; periderm 1–5 mm. |
Stems | 5–25 cm. |
10–30 cm. |
Leaves | basal leaves sessile, dilated at base into broad, succulent sheath, blade rhombic to oblanceolate, 2–10 × 0.4–2.8 cm, apex obtuse; cauline leaves sessile, blade oblanceolate, 2–10 × 2–5 mm. |
basal leaves sometimes absent, petiolate, blades linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1–8 × 0.2–1.3 cm, apex acute; cauline leaves sessile, blade linear or linear-lanceolate, 2–10 cm, distinctly tapered. |
Inflorescences | multibracteate; bracts subtending pedicels, apex obtuse. |
multibracteate; proximalmost bracts leaflike, inserted proximal to pedicels of proximalmost cluster of flowers, distal bracts reduced to membranous scales, rarely with 1 bract. |
Flowers | 12–20 mm diam; sepals 6–8 mm; petals white, pink, or rose, 5–20 × 3–8 mm; ovules 6. |
8–14 mm diam.; sepals 3–5 mm; petals white with yellow spots at base, creamy white, or rich yellow to yellow-orange, 8–10 mm; ovules 6. |
Seeds | 2–3 mm diam., shiny and smooth; elaiosome 1 mm or less. |
1–2 mm diam., shiny and smooth to minutely tuberculate; elaiosome 1 mm or less. |
2n | = 12, 16, 24, 32, 34, 36. |
= 16. |
Claytonia megarhiza |
Claytonia multiscapa |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Aug. | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Talus, scree, gravelly slopes | Moist to dry grasslands and montane coniferous forests, often in swales with heavy, poorly drained clay soils in the south to wet, rocky tundra in the north |
Elevation | 2000-4000 m (6600-13100 ft) | 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT |
AK; ID; MT; WA; WY; BC; Eurasia (Russia)
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Discussion | Claytonia multiscapa has been the source of taxonomic differences of opinion. Local floras have treated the synonymous C. flava as a distinct species (e.g., R. D. Dorn 1977) while one regional flora (C. L. Hitchcock et al. 1955–1969, vol. 2) united it with C. lanceolata. It is treated here as a distinct species based on the electrophoretic and field work of J. S. Shelly (1998) and the author’s examination of type material. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 4, p. 469. | FNA vol. 4, p. 470. |
Parent taxa | Portulacaceae > Claytonia | Portulacaceae > Claytonia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. arctica var. megarhiza, C. megarhiza var. bellidifolia, C. megarhiza var. nivalis | C. czukczorum, C. lanceolata var. flava, C. lanceolata var. multiscapa, C. lanceolata var. pacifica, C. tuberosa var. czukczorum |
Name authority | (A. Gray) Parry ex S. Watson: Smithsonian Misc. Collect 258: 118. (1878) | Rydberg: Fl. Rocky Mts., 263, 1061. (1917) |
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