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cushion miner's-lettuce, erubescent lettuce, erubescent miner's-lettuce, red miners lettuce, red stem spring beauty, red-stem miner's lettuce

lanceleaf spring-beauty, western spring-beauty

Habit Plants annual, sometimes overwintering and biennial, with minute, shortened, tuberous bodies; periderm absent. Plants perennial, with globose tubers 5–20 mm diam.; periderm 1–5 mm.
Stems

1–10 cm.

1–10 cm.

Leaves

basal leaves in flattened to suberect rosettes, 0.5–6 cm, blade with strong red pigmentation even in juvenile plants, narrowly rhombic to ovate, spatulate, or trullate, 0.5–1.5 × 0.5–1 cm, apex obtuse;

cauline leaves distinct or connate on 1 side or perfoliate, sessile, blade ovate.

basal leaves 1–6, often absent at flowering, blade linear to lanceolate, 5–40 × 0.2–1.6 cm;

cauline leaves sessile, blade ovate to narrowly lanceolate, 1–6 × 0.5–2 cm.

Inflorescences

1-bracteate;

bract leaflike, 0.5–15 mm.

1-bracteate (rarely with 2 bracts).

Flowers

2–5 mm diam.;

sepals 1.5–2.5 mm;

petals 2–3 mm, pinkish white to white;

ovules 3.

8–14 mm diam.;

sepals 4–6 mm;

petals white to pink, rose, magenta, yellow, or deep orange, 5–20 mm;

ovules 6.

Seeds

2–3 mm diam., shiny and smooth;

elaiosome 1–2 mm.

2–2.5 mm diam., shiny and smooth;

elaiosome 1–2 mm.

2n

= 12, 24, 36.

= 12, 16, 24, 32, 36, 44, 48, 52, 64, 74, ca. 90.

Claytonia rubra

Claytonia lanceolata

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Sagebrush and montane foothills to alpine areas, particularly where snow persists
Elevation 500-3000 m (1600-9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; SD; UT; WA; WY; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Some differences of opinion exist regarding the relationships of Claytonia lanceolata and C. rosea. The work of D. K. Halleck and D. Wiens (1966) and J. S. Shelly et al. (1998) provides ample justification for their recognition as distinct species.

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

Key
1. Basal leaf blades trullate; cauline leaves distinct or perfoliate
subsp. rubra
1. Basal leaf blades lanceolate, spatulate, rhombic, or ovate; cauline leaves usually connate on only 1 side or perfoliate
subsp. depressa
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 473. FNA vol. 4, p. 469.
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. rosea, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. rubra subsp. depressa, C. rubra subsp. rubra
Synonyms Montia rubra C. caroliniana var. peirsonii, C. lanceolata subsp. chrysantha, C. lanceolata var. idahoensis, C. lanceolata var. peirsonii, C. sessilifolia
Name authority (Howell) Tidestrom: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 25: 188. (1925) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 175, plate 3. (1814)
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