Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes apetala |
|
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Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
tiny swamp saxifrage, western swamp saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, rhizomatous. | Plants solitary or in clusters, with bulbils on caudices, or short-rhizomatous. |
Leaves | 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. |
basal; petiole flattened, 0.5–3 cm; blade ± ovate, 2–5 cm, ± fleshy, base attenuate, margins entire or crenulate, eciliate, surfaces hairy. |
Inflorescences | usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
10–25-flowered, congested, glomerate thyrses, 4–15 cm, pink- to purple-tipped stipitate-glandular (hairs uniseriate). |
Flowers | 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). |
sepals erect to ascending, ovate; petals absent, sometimes 1–5, white to greenish white, not spotted, linear to oblong, clawed, 1–2 mm, much shorter than sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils connate to 1/2 their lengths; ovary 1/2+ inferior. |
Capsules | green to yellow, distal 1/2 purple, ± folliclelike, (basally connate). |
reddish or purplish, folliclelike. |
2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
= 38. |
Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes apetala |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer–early autumn. | Flowering early spring–summer. |
Habitat | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides | Vernally moist meadows, wet depressions on mountain slopes |
Elevation | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) | 600-2800 m (2000-9200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
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ID; MT; OR; WA
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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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. | FNA vol. 8, p. 68. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga lyallii, Saxifraga lyallii subsp. hultenii, Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii | Saxifraga apetala, Saxifraga integrifolia var. apetala |
Name authority | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , | (Piper) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 135. 1905 , |
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