Flora of North America species comparison

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Claytonia rosea

Claytonia multiscapa

Madrean springbeauty, Rocky Mountain Spring beauty, western springbeauty

lanceleaf springbeauty, Rydberg's spring-beauty
Habit Plants perennial, with globose tubers 20–100 mm; periderm 5–10 mm. Plants perennial, with globose tubers 10–30 mm diam.; periderm 1–5 mm.
Stems

2–15 cm.

10–30 cm.
Leaves

basal leaves sometimes absent, petiolate, blade linear to narrowly spatulate, 1–7 × 0.4–2 cm, apex acute to obtuse;

cauline leaves petiolate, blade linear, 2–5 cm, apex acute to obtuse.

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, rarely 1-bracteate;

proximalmost bract leaflike, distal bracts reduced to membranous scales.

multibracteate;

proximalmost bracts leaflike, inserted proximal to pedicels of proximalmost cluster of flowers, distal bracts reduced to membranous scales, rarely with 1 bract.
Flowers

8–14 mm diam.;

sepals 3–5 mm;

petals pink, rose, or magenta, 8–10 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, shiny and smooth;

elaiosome 1–2 mm.

1–2 mm diam., shiny and smooth to minutely tuberculate;

elaiosome 1 mm or less.
2n

= 16.

= 16.

Claytonia rosea

Claytonia multiscapa
Phenology Flowering Feb–May. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Hillsides and mesas of montane ponderosa and Chihuahuan pine and oak belts 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 800-2400 m (2600-7900 ft) 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; ID; MT; WA; WY; BC; Eurasia (Russia)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Claytonia rosea is morphologically distinct from C. lanceolata based on early cytological and ecological study of the two species by D. K. Halleck and D. Wiens (1966) and the author’s review of type material.

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

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.)
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 472. FNA vol. 4, p. 470.
Parent taxa Portulacaceae > Claytonia Portulacaceae > Claytonia
Sibling taxa
C. acutifolia, C. arctica, C. arenicola, C. caroliniana, C. cordifolia, C. exigua, C. gypsophiloides, C. lanceolata, C. megarhiza, C. multiscapa, C. nevadensis, C. ogilviensis, C. palustris, C. parviflora, C. perfoliata, 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. cordifolia, C. exigua, C. gypsophiloides, C. lanceolata, C. megarhiza, 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. lanceolata var. rosea C. czukczorum, C. lanceolata var. flava, C. lanceolata var. multiscapa, C. lanceolata var. pacifica, C. tuberosa var. czukczorum
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 31: 404. (1904) Rydberg: Fl. Rocky Mts., 263, 1061. (1917)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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