Micranthes californica |
Micranthes careyana |
|
---|---|---|
California saxifrage, Greene's saxifrage |
Carey's saxifrage |
|
Habit | Plants solitary or in clumps, with bulbils on caudices, or rhizomatous. | Plants often mat-forming, with extensive rhizomes. |
Leaves | basal; petiole flattened, 2–5 cm; blade ovate, 2–7 cm, fleshy, base attenuate, margins serrate, rarely subentire, ciliate, surfaces hairy. |
basal; petiole flattened, 1–7 cm; blade rounded or broadly ovate to oblong, 1–7 cm, thin, base truncate, margins coarsely serrate to dentate, sparsely ciliate, surfaces sparsely to ± densely tangled, reddish brown-hairy. |
Inflorescences | 20+-flowered, (flowers often secund), open, lax thyrses with distant lateral branches, 15–30(–40) cm, purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
40+-flowered, lax, open thyrses, 10–40(–50) cm, purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
Flowers | sepals reflexed, sometimes spreading, triangular to ovate; petals white, not spotted, elliptic to oblong, clawed, 2.5–4.5 mm, longer than sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils connate to 1/2 their lengths; ovary 1/2+ inferior, appearing superior in fruit. |
sepals spreading, broadly ovate; petals white, sometimes some with 2 faint, basal yellow spots (sometimes fading upon drying), narrowly ovate to elliptic, clawed, 2–4(–5) mm, 2+ times as long as sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils distinct almost to base; ovary superior, (to 1/3 adnate to hypanthium). |
Capsules | purplish, folliclelike. |
green, ± purple tinged, folliclelike. |
Micranthes californica |
Micranthes careyana |
|
Phenology | Flowering winter–early spring. | Flowering spring–early summer. |
Habitat | Shaded fields, rocky or unstable slopes, stream banks | Moist soil at bases of vertical or overhanging rock outcrops, seeps |
Elevation | 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) | 500-1600 m (1600-5200 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
|
AL; GA; KY; NC; TN; VA; WV |
Discussion | Micranthes careyana is very similar to M. caroliniana; both are in need of study. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 64. | FNA vol. 8, p. 61. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga californica, M. parvifolia, Saxifraga fallax, Saxifraga hallii, Saxifraga parvifolia, Saxifraga virginiensis var. californica | Saxifraga careyana, Saxifraga tennesseensis |
Name authority | (Greene) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 140. (1905) | (A. Gray) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S., 501. 1903 , |
Web links |