Epilobium saximontanum |
Epilobium minutum |
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glandular willowherb, Rocky Mountain willowherb, Rocky Mountain willowweed, épilobe des rocheuses |
California willowherb, chaparral willowherb, desert willowherb, little willowherb, minute willowherb, small-flower willowherb |
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Habit | Herbs usually with sessile, fleshy, underground turions, or sometimes thick, elongated shoots with dark, decussate scales. | Herbs slender. |
Stems | erect, strict, terete, 4–55 cm, simple or well branched in age, subglabrous proximally to mixed strigillose and glandular puberulent distally, with raised strigillose lines decurrent from margins of petioles. |
strict, erect, sometimes reddish green, terete, 3.5–40 cm, simple or freely branched, subglabrous proximally to strigillose and glandular puberulent distally. |
Leaves | opposite proximal to inflorescence, alternate and reduced distally, often ± appressed, usually subsessile, rarely petiole 1–3 mm, often clasping; blade obovate proximally to ovate, lanceolate, or narrowly elliptic distally, 1–5.5(–6.5) × 0.4–2(–2.4) cm, base rounded or obtuse, margins low denticulate, 9–30 teeth per side, veins ± conspicuous, 3–6 per side, apex subacute, surfaces subglabrous with strigillose margins; bracts much reduced. |
alternate distally, not fasciculate, petiole 0–2 mm, blade subspatulate proximally to lanceolate, oblanceolate, or narrowly elliptical distally, not folded along midrib, 0.9–2.5 × 0.2–0.6 cm, shorter than internodes, base tapered, margins entire or scarcely denticulate, 1–4 teeth per side, lateral veins obscure, apex subacute or often blunt proximally, surfaces subglabrous or with scattered hairs along margins; bracts much reduced, sometimes attached to pedicel. |
Inflorescences | erect, sometimes nodding in bud, racemes, sometimes sparsely branched. |
erect racemes or open panicles, relatively loose and uncrowded, branches thin, mixed strigillose and glandular puberulent. |
Flowers | erect; buds 2–3.5 × 1.8–2.5 mm; pedicel 0–1 mm; floral tube 0.8–1.4 × 0.8–1.9 mm, ring of sparse spreading hairs at mouth inside; sepals sometimes flushed red, 1.2–3.5 × 0.6–1.4 mm, abaxial surface strigillose and sometimes mixed glandular puberulent; petals usually white, infrequently pink, 2.2–5(–7) × 1.7–3.2 mm, apical notch 0.4–1.5 mm; filaments usually cream, rarely light pink, those of longer stamens 2–3.5 mm, those of shorter ones 1–2 mm; anthers cream to light yellow, 0.3–0.8 × 0.3–0.5 mm; ovary 9–30 mm, densely strigillose and glandular puberulent; style cream or yellow, 1.6–2.8 mm, stigma usually narrowly to broadly clavate, rarely subcapitate, 1–3 × 0.8–2 mm, surrounded by at least longer anthers. |
erect or, sometimes, nodding in bud; buds broadly ovoid, 1.2–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm; floral tube 1.1–1.5 × 1–1.4 mm, usually with ring of spreading hairs at mouth inside; sepals 0.5–2.5 × 0.4–1.3 mm, apex acute, abaxial surface strigillose, sometimes mixed glandular puberulent; petals white to pink, 2–5 × 1.5–3 mm, apical notch 0.2–1.9 mm; filaments white, those of longer stamens 0.5–3 mm, those of shorter ones 0.3–2 mm; anthers 0.6–1 × 0.5–0.8 mm; ovary 4–9 mm, mixed strigillose and glandular puberulent; style light pink, 1–3.5 mm, stigma subclavate to obscurely 4-lobed, 0.4–0.6 × 0.4–0.5 mm, surrounded by longer anthers. |
Capsules | 30–55(–70) mm, surfaces mixed strigillose and glandular puberulent; usually subsessile, rarely pedicel 1–5 mm, often appressed to stem. |
9–28 mm, surfaces strigillose and glandular puberulent; pedicel 3–10 mm. |
Seeds | very narrowly obovoid, 1–1.6(–1.8) × 0.4–0.6 mm, chalazal collar 0.1–0.2 mm, light brown or gray, surface rugose to papillose; coma usually readily detached, white, 3–9 mm. |
obovoid, without constriction, 0.9–1.2 × 0.4–0.6 mm, low chalazal collar 0.1–0.2 mm wide, brown, surface reticulate; coma easily detached, white, 2.5–3 mm. |
2n | = 36. |
= 26. |
Epilobium saximontanum |
Epilobium minutum |
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Phenology | Flowering Jul–Sep. | Flowering Apr–Sep. |
Habitat | Montane semi-shaded stream banks, damp meadows, mossy seeps, wet slatey cliffs, disturbed or seasonally damp areas. | Open, dry places, along roads, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–3700 m. (0–12100 ft.) | 90–1900 m. (300–6200 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; NF; ON; QC
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CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; BC
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Discussion | Epilobium saximontanum is morphologically similar to E. ciliatum (especially subsp. glandulosum) with which it also shares the AA chromosome arrangement. However, in addition to its fleshy compact turions, it very characteristically has notably appressed capsules, unlike most other species in the genus, and a notably strict habit. The distribution of Epilobium saximontanum is unusual; it includes the Rocky Mountain region, only barely reaching the high southern Sierra Nevada, disjunct to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and more widely in eastern Canada, from the shores of Hudson Bay to Newfoundland. Specimens are fairly uniform across this wide and rather discontinuous range, although locally they show some variability, possibly due to hybridization with any of several species that may be sympatric with it. H. Lewis and D. M. Moore (1962) reported hybrids between E. saximontanum (cited as E. brevistylum) and E. ciliatum subsp. ciliatum (cited as E. adenocaulon) from Colorado, and herbarium specimens with E. saximontanum and apparent hybrids are not uncommon. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Epilobium minutum, like the similar E. foliosum, also occasionally produces cleistogamous flowers, and is modally autogamous in any event. S. R. Seavey et al. (1977b) observed that E. minutum is less common than E. foliosum in the southern part of their overlapping ranges and more common in the north. Several sheets (for example, Lawler 3276, California, Butte Co. [MO]; Nelson & Gordon 5573, California, Trinity Co. [MO]) mention that the plants were growing on serpentine soil. The earliest collection of this species appears to be one made by Archibald Menzies in 1792–1794 under the name E. palustre (BM). Crossostigma lindleyi Spach (a substitute name for Epilobium minutum) and E. lindleyi (Spach) Rydberg are illegitimate names that pertain here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 10. | FNA vol. 10. |
Parent taxa | Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Epilobieae > Epilobium > sect. Epilobium | Onagraceae > subfam. Onagroideae > tribe Epilobieae > Epilobium > sect. Crossostigma |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. adenocaulon subsp. rubescens, E. drummondii, E. drummondii var. latiusculum, E. latiusculum, E. ovatifolium, E. rubescens, E. scalare, E. stramineum | E. minutum var. canescens |
Name authority | Haussknecht: Oesterr. Bot. Z. 29: 119. (1879) | Lindley in W. J. Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 207. (1832) |
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