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Lewisia cotyledon

cliff lewisia, cliff maids, Siskiyou lewisia

Photo is of parent taxon

cliff lewisia, cliff maids, Siskiyou bitterroot, Siskiyou lewisia

Taproots

gradually ramified distally.

Stems

ascending to suberect, 10–12(–30) cm.

Leaves

basal leaves evergreen, sessile or abruptly or gradually narrowed to broad petiole, blade oblanceolate, obovate, spatulate, or rarely ± linear or ± orbiculate, ± flattened, 3–14 cm, margins entire, crisped, or toothed, apex truncate, emarginate, retuse, or rounded;

cauline leaves alternate, intergrading with bracts, blade oblong to ovate, 5–10 mm, margins glandular-toothed, apex acute to occasionally obtuse.

Basal leaf

blades: margins entire or slightly undulate, not toothed or crisped.

Inflorescences

dense, paniculate to subumbellate cymes, 10–50-flowered;

bracts alternate or opposite proximally, 2 at each flowering node distally, obovate to lanceolate, 2–4 mm, margins glandular-toothed, apex acute.

Flowers

pedicellate, not disarticulate in fruit;

sepals 2, suborbiculate to broadly ovate, 4–6 mm, herbaceous at anthesis, margins glandular-toothed, apex obtuse to truncate;

petals 7–10, usually pink-purple with pale and darker stripes, less often white, cream with pink-orange stripes, ± orange, or yellow, oblanceolate, obovate, or spatulate, (8–)12–20 mm;

stamens 5–12;

stigmas 2–4;

pedicel 2–5 mm.

Capsules

3–5 mm.

Seeds

4–15, 1.5 mm, shiny, smooth.

Petals

(8–)12–14 mm.

2n

= 28.

Lewisia cotyledon

Lewisia cotyledon var. cotyledon

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Rock crevices on north-facing cliffsides or outcrops
Elevation 300-2300 m (1000-7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

The varieties occasionally co-occur. Natural hybrids with Lewisia leeana are known (see discussion under 8. L. leeana).

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

Variety cotyledon is known only from the Klamath Ranges, northwestern California and southwesternmost Oregon.

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

Key
1. Basal leaf blade margins entire or slightly undulate, not toothed or crisped; petals (8-)12-14 mm
var. cotyledon
1. Basal leaf blade margins strongly crisped or toothed; petals 12-20 mm
→ 2
2. Basal leaf blade margins toothed.
var. heckneri
2. Basal leaf blade margins strongly crisped
var. howellii
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 480. FNA vol. 4, p. 480.
Parent taxa Portulacaceae > Lewisia Portulacaceae > Lewisia > Lewisia cotyledon
Sibling taxa
L. brachycalyx, L. cantelovii, L. columbiana, L. congdonii, L. disepala, L. kelloggii, L. leeana, L. longipetala, L. maguirei, L. nevadensis, L. oppositifolia, L. pygmaea, L. rediviva, L. stebbinsii, L. triphylla
L. cotyledon var. heckneri, L. cotyledon var. howellii
Subordinate taxa
L. cotyledon var. cotyledon, L. cotyledon var. heckneri, L. cotyledon var. howellii
Synonyms Calandrinia cotyledon, Oreobroma cotyledon L. cotyledon var. purdyi, L. finchiae, L. purdyi
Name authority (S. Watson) B. L. Robinson: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1: 268. (1897) unknown
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