Micranthes eriophora |
Micranthes lyallii |
|
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redfuzz saxifrage |
Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or in groups, with bulbils on caudices. | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, rhizomatous. |
Leaves | basal; petiole flattened, 0.5–2.5 cm; blade ovate to elliptic, 1–2 cm, ± fleshy, base attenuate, margins sharply serrate, sparsely to densely ciliate (some glandular-tipped), surfaces densely tangled, reddish brown-hairy abaxially, glabrous adaxially. |
basal; petiole rounded to flattened, 2–10 cm; blade spatulate to obovate, 0.8–8 cm, thin, base cuneate to slightly attenuate, margins serrate to dentate, eciliate or sparsely glandular-ciliate, surfaces abaxially glabrous, adaxially sparsely brown-hairy. |
Inflorescences | 10+-flowered, (flowers often secund), very open, lax, often flat-topped thyrses with distant lateral branches, 6–25 cm, pink- to purplish-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
Flowers | sepals erect, triangular; petals white, sometimes purplish-tipped, not spotted, obovate to elliptic, not clawed or barely clawed, 4–7 mm, ca. 2 times as long as sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils distinct almost to base; ovary 1/3–1/2 inferior. |
sepals reflexed, oblong to elliptic; petals white, each with 2 basal yellowish green spots, elliptic to round, clawed, 2–5.5 mm, longer than sepals; filaments club-shaped, (to 6 mm); pistils connate 1/2+ their lengths; ovary superior, (to 1/3 adnate to hypanthium). |
Capsules | purplish, valvate. |
green to yellow, distal 1/2 purple, ± folliclelike, (basally connate). |
2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
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Micranthes eriophora |
Micranthes lyallii |
|
Phenology | Flowering late winter–early summer. | Flowering summer–early autumn. |
Habitat | Rocky slopes and ledges | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides |
Elevation | 1900-3000 m (6200-9800 ft) | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; NM; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua)
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AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
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Discussion | Although they have nearly disjunct sets of populations, the subspecies of Micranthes lyallii are difficult to distinguish from each other. The more northern plants tend to be larger with wider leaves and often have been called Saxifraga lyallii subsp. or var. hultenii. Apparent hybrids with M. odontoloma occur in Alberta, British Columbia, and northern Idaho, and near Glacier National Park, Montana. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 64. | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga eriophora | Saxifraga lyallii, Saxifraga lyallii subsp. hultenii, Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii |
Name authority | (S. Watson) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 142. (1905) | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , |
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