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alpine ivesia, Gordon's ivesia, Howell's ivesia

Habit Herbs, shrubs, or subshrubs.
Stems

usually greenish, rarely reddish, usually ascending to erect, sometimes decumbent, 0.3–2 dm, not or sparsely hirsute to villous, glandular-puberulent or -pubescent.

Leaves

alternate, rarely opposite, pinnately compound, sometimes simple or palmately compound;

stipules present, rarely absent.

Basal leaves

2–8(–10) × 0.5–1(–1.5) cm;

leaflets 2–5(–9) mm, hirsute to pilose, rarely minutely glandular at least marginally.

Inflorescences

5–25-flowered, usually simple, 1–3(–4) cm diam., glomerules usually 1, ± capitate.

Flowers

5–9 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets (1.5–)2–3(–4) mm;

hypanthium (2–)2.5–3.5(–4) × 2.5–4 mm;

sepals 2–4(–5) mm, acute;

anthers rarely red-margined.

torus usually enlarged, sometimes small or absent;

carpels 1–260(–450), distinct, free, styles distinct, rarely connate (Roseae);

ovules 1(or 2), collateral (Rubeae) or superposed (Fallugia, Filipendula).

Fruits

achenes or aggregated achenes sometimes with fleshy, urn-shaped hypanthium or enlarged torus, sometimes aggregated drupelets;

styles persistent or deciduous, not elongate (elongate but not plumose in Geum).

x

= 7(8).

Ivesia gordonii var. alpicola

Rosaceae subfam. rosoideae

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry grassy areas on talus, or gravelly or rocky slopes and ridges, in subalpine and alpine montane conifer woodlands, alpine tundra
Elevation 2100–3300 m (6900–10800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA
North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Bermuda; Eurasia; Africa; Atlantic Islands; Indian Ocean Islands; Pacific Islands; Australia
Discussion

P. A. Rydberg (1898) used var. alpicola (as Horkelia gordonii var. alpicola) for compact, high-elevation plants throughout the range of Ivesia gordonii. As circumscribed here, var. alpicola is restricted to plants occurring disjunctly in an arc around the northwestern part of the species range. Populations occur in the northern Coast Ranges and central Sierra Nevada of California, sporadically to Mount Adams and the Wenatchee Mountains in Washington, and from there to the mountains of central Idaho and the Bitterroot Range of Montana. The variety is also disjunct on the Owyhee Mountains of southwestern Idaho.

Plants of var. alpicola average shorter than those of var. gordonii, which occurs farther east and south. In var. alpicola, stems with only glandular indumentum are common; such stems are rare in var. gordonii. Unlike those of var. gordonii, the leaflets of var. alpicola are frequently glandular with only marginal hairs.

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

Variation in the number of genera in subfam. Rosoideae is due to differences in generic delimitation between D. Potter et al. (2007) and the authors of some Potentilleae genera. Cyanogenic glycosides and sorbitol are absent in the subfamily.

Tribes 6, genera 28–35, species ca. 1600 (6 tribes, 26 genera, 302 species, including 1 hybrid, in the flora)

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 234. FNA vol. 9, p. 23. Author: Luc Brouillet.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Ivesia > Ivesia gordonii Rosaceae
Sibling taxa
I. gordonii var. gordonii, I. gordonii var. ursinorum, I. gordonii var. wasatchensis
Subordinate taxa
Synonyms I. alpicola, Horkelia gordonii var. alpicola
Name authority (Rydberg ex Howell) Ertter & Reveal: Novon 17: 322. (2007) Arnott: Botany, 107. (1832)
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