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Lewisia cotyledon

cliff lewisia, cliff maids, Siskiyou lewisia

Photo is of parent taxon

Howell's 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 strongly 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

12–20 mm.

2n

= 28.

Lewisia cotyledon

Lewisia cotyledon var. howellii

Phenology Flowering mid-late spring.
Habitat Rocky crevices and substrates, sometimes in open woodlands
Elevation 100-400 m (300-1300 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 howellii is more or less peripheral in distribution to var. cotyledon and generally is found at lower elevations.

(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. cotyledon, L. cotyledon var. heckneri
Subordinate taxa
L. cotyledon var. cotyledon, L. cotyledon var. heckneri, L. cotyledon var. howellii
Synonyms Calandrinia cotyledon, Oreobroma cotyledon Calandrinia howellii, L. howellii, Oreobroma howellii
Name authority (S. Watson) B. L. Robinson: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1: 268. (1897) (S. Watson) Jepson: Fl. Calif. 1: 479. (1915)
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