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Lewisia rediviva

bitter root, bitterroot lewisia, resurrection flower

Nevada bitterroot, Nevada lewisia, Sierra lewisia

Taproots

gradually ramified distally.

napiform to shortly fusiform.

Stems

procumbent to erect, 1–3 cm.

suberect, becoming horizontal or deflexed after anthesis, base subterranean, 5–12 cm.

Leaves

basal leaves withering at or soon after anthesis, sessile, blade linear to clavate, subterete or grooved adaxially, 0.5–5 cm, margins entire, apex obtuse to subacute;

cauline leaves absent.

basal leaves withering at or soon after anthesis, gradually narrowed to broad petiole, blade narrowly linear to linear-oblanceolate, flattened, 4–15 cm, margins entire, apex obtuse to subacute;

cauline leaves absent.

Inflorescences

with flowers borne singly;

bracts 4–7(–8), whorled, subulate to linear-lanceolate, 4–10 mm, margins entire, apex acuminate.

usually with flowers borne singly, rarely 2–3-flowered in racemose cymes;

bracts 2, opposite, linear-lanceolate, 6–18 mm, margins entire, apex acute.

Flowers

pedicellate, disarticulate in fruit;

sepals (4–)6–9, broadly elliptic to ovate, 10–25 mm, scarious after anthesis, margins entire to somewhat erose, apex obtuse to rounded;

petals 10–19, usually rose to pink, sometimes lavender, sometimes with paler or white centers, or wholly white, elliptic, oblong, or narrowly oblanceolate, 15–35 mm;

stamens 20–50;

stigmas 4–9;

pedicel (1–)3–15(–30) mm.

pedicellate, not disarticulate in fruit, 0.5–2 cm diam.;

sepals 2, broadly ovate, 5–13 mm, herbaceous at anthesis, margins entire or with few shallow, nonglandular teeth, apex acute to subacute;

petals 5–10, white or rarely pinkish, elliptic to oblanceolate, 10–15(–20) mm;

stamens 6–15;

stigmas 3–6;

pedicel 10–40 mm.

Capsules

5–6 mm.

5–10 mm.

Seeds

6–25, 2–2.5 mm, shiny, minutely papillate.

20–50, 1.3 mm, shiny, muricate.

2n

= 26, 28.

= 56.

Lewisia rediviva

Lewisia nevadensis

Phenology Flowering late spring–late summer.
Habitat Wet grassy slopes and meadows near springs
Elevation 1300-3200 m (4300-10500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Native Americans commonly ate the boiled roots of Lewisia rediviva.

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

Lewisia nevadensis represents one extreme of the L. pygmaea complex (see discussion under 13. L. pygmaea). Questionable geographic occurrences reflect plants that have one or more features otherwise suggestive of L. pygmaea (e.g., more elongate roots, truncate and/or toothed sepals, and colored petals); such intermediates also occur in the range of “typical” L. nevadensis (relatively robust plants with napiform roots, solitary flowers, acute sepals with entire margins, and white petals). Uncertainty respecting the affinity of specimens prevails in those from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming. There are no supporting specimens from Wyoming.

B. L. Davidson (2000) noted that Lewisia nevadensis is a garden weed in Colorado; it is not clear whether or not these plants are escapes from cultivation.

The floral symmetry of Lewisia nevadensis may be somewhat elliptical, the two outer sepals and the remaining petals imbricate and opposite the sepals, giving the flowers a pinched appearance, a feature also reported for L. oppositifolia.

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

Key
1. Basal leaf blades clavate to narrowly oblanceolate, grooved adaxially; sepals 10-12(-15) mm; petals 15mm; stamens 20-30
var. minor
1. Basal leaf blades linear, subterete, not grooved adaxially; sepals 15-25 mm; petals 18-35 mm; stamens 30-50
var. rediviva
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 484. FNA vol. 4.
Parent taxa Portulacaceae > Lewisia Portulacaceae > Lewisia
Sibling taxa
L. brachycalyx, L. cantelovii, L. columbiana, L. congdonii, L. cotyledon, L. disepala, L. kelloggii, L. leeana, L. longipetala, L. maguirei, L. nevadensis, L. oppositifolia, L. pygmaea, L. stebbinsii, L. triphylla
L. brachycalyx, L. cantelovii, L. columbiana, L. congdonii, L. cotyledon, L. disepala, L. kelloggii, L. leeana, L. longipetala, L. maguirei, L. oppositifolia, L. pygmaea, L. rediviva, L. stebbinsii, L. triphylla
Subordinate taxa
L. rediviva var. minor, L. rediviva var. rediviva
Synonyms Calandrinia nevadensis, Claytonia grayana, L. bernardina, L. pygmaea var. nevadensis, Oreobroma nevadense
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 368. (1814) (A. Gray) B. L. Robinson: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1: 268. (1897)
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