Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes nudicaulis |
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Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, rhizomatous. | Plants solitary or in clusters, stoloniferous, 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 rounded, 0.5–3.5 cm, (base expanded, stipulelike); blade somewhat reniform, (± evenly lobed), 0.5–2.5 cm, ± fleshy, base cordate to truncate, margins entire, sparsely glandular-ciliate, surfaces glabrous. |
Inflorescences | usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
5–20-flowered, branched cymes or flat-topped thyrses, 5–16 cm, sparsely 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 reflexed or, sometimes, spreading, triangular; petals white to cream (rarely pink), not spotted, broadly elliptic to ovate, short-clawed, 4–5 mm, longer than sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils connate 1/2+ their lengths; ovary superior, (to 1/3 adnate to hypanthium). |
Capsules | green to yellow, distal 1/2 purple, ± folliclelike, (basally connate). |
dark purple-black, valvate. |
2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
= 40. |
Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes nudicaulis |
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Phenology | Flowering summer–early autumn. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides | Wet flushes, stream banks |
Elevation | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) | 0-800 m (0-2600 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
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AK; e Asia (Russian Far East) |
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. 59. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga lyallii, Saxifraga lyallii subsp. hultenii, Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii | Saxifraga nudicaulis |
Name authority | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , | (D. Don) Gornall & H. Ohba: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1021. (2007) |
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