Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes nidifica |
|
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Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
Columbia saxifrage, meadow saxifrage, peak saxifrage, swamp saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, rhizomatous. | Plants solitary or in clumps, 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 flattened, 1.5–5.5 cm; blade ± ovate to elliptic, 3–6(–7.5) cm, fleshy, base attenuate, margins entire or minutely denticulate, ciliate, surfaces glabrate to sparsely hairy. |
Inflorescences | usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
30+-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses with 3–10, ± compact cymules, 10–30 cm, ± densely pink- to purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
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 strongly reflexed, broadly ovate to deltate; petals white to greenish white, not spotted, usually elliptic to obovate, clawed, 1–1.9 mm, equaling or 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). |
green or reddish purple, folliclelike. |
2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
= 38. |
Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes nidifica |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer–early autumn. | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides | Open meadows, shrub-lands, gravelly slopes, edges of and open pine forests |
Elevation | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) | 100-2600 m (300-8500 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
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CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC
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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.) |
Micranthes nidifica is polymorphic and merges to some extent with M. fragosa in limited areas of southern Washington and northern Oregon. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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 nidifica, M. plantaginea, Saxifraga columbiana, Saxifraga integrifolia var. columbiana, Saxifraga integrifolia var. leptopetala, Saxifraga montana, Saxifraga plantaginea |
Name authority | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , | (Greene) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 134. (1905) |
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