Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes foliolosa |
|
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Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
leafy stem saxifrage, naked-bulbil small-flower-saxifrage, saxifrage à bulbilles |
|
Habit | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, rhizomatous. | Plants solitary or tufted, with bulbils on caudices. |
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 ± absent; blade oblanceolate, 6–15(–30) cm, ± fleshy, base cuneate, margins subentire, sometimes 1–3-toothed distally, eciliate or sparsely ciliate, surfaces glabrate. |
Inflorescences | usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
2(–5+)-flowered, (proximal flowers replaced by bulbils), narrow, branched, sometimes ± open, cylindric thyrses, sometimes solitary flowers, 5–15 cm, glabrous or sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. (Pedicels erect to ascending.) Flowers: sepals reflexed, lanceolate; petals white, each with 1–2 basal yellow spots, lanceolate, clawed, 3–8 mm, longer than sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils connate 1/2+ their lengths; ovary superior, (to 1/3 adnate to hypanthium). |
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). |
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Capsules | green to yellow, distal 1/2 purple, ± folliclelike, (basally connate). |
green to purplish, valvate. |
2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
= 56. |
Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes foliolosa |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer–early autumn. | Flowering late summer. |
Habitat | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides | Mossy tundra near streams and flushes, wet, rocky slopes, snowbeds |
Elevation | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) | 0-1800 m (0-5900 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
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AK; CO; ME; NL; NT; NU; QC; YT; Greenland; n Europe; n Asia |
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. 57. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga lyallii, Saxifraga lyallii subsp. hultenii, Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii | Saxifraga foliolosa, Saxifraga foliolosa var. multiflora, Saxifraga stellaris subsp. comosa, Saxifraga stellaris var. comosa |
Name authority | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , | (R. Brown) Gornall: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1020. 2007 , |
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