Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes hieraciifolia |
|
---|---|---|
Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
hawkweed-leaf saxifrage |
|
Habit | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, rhizomatous. | Plants mostly solitary, with short caudices, sometimes 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 sometimes indistinct, flattened, 2–4 cm; blade ovate to elliptic, 2–6 cm, ± fleshy, base cuneate to slightly attenuate, margins usually ± evenly serrulate to denticulate, ciliate, surfaces sparsely to densely hairy and sparsely stipitate-glandular. |
Inflorescences | usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
30+-flowered, constricted, spikelike thyrses, 7–30 cm, tangled-hairy proximally, densely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular distally. |
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 spreading to reflexed, triangular to ovate; petals dark reddish purple, not spotted, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, slightly clawed, 1.5–3 mm, equaling 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 to purple, valvate. |
2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
= 112, 120. |
Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes hieraciifolia |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer–early autumn. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides | Wet, mossy tundra, streamsides, ledges, crevices |
Elevation | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) | 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
|
AK; MT; BC; NT; NU; YT; Greenland; Europe; 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.) |
In British Columbia, Micranthes hieraciifolia is disjunct between the far north and the Okanagan-Thompson Plateau in the south (S. A. Harris 2003). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. | FNA vol. 8, p. 66. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga lyallii, Saxifraga lyallii subsp. hultenii, Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii | Saxifraga hieraciifolia, Saxifraga hieraciifolia var. angusticapsula, Saxifraga hieraciifolia var. rufopilosa |
Name authority | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , | (Waldstein & Kitaibel ex Willdenow) Haworth: Saxifrag. Enum., 45. 1821 (as hieracifolia) , |
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