Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes odontoloma |
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Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
brook saxifrage, stream saxifrage, streambank saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, rhizomatous. | Plants solitary or sometimes grouped, 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, 2–30 cm; blade round, 7–40 cm, thin to slightly fleshy, base cordate to truncate, margins regularly dentate, eciliate, surfaces sparsely brownish hairy abaxially, glabrous adaxially. |
Inflorescences | usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
10–30+-flowered, open, lax, flat-topped thyrses, 20–65(–85) cm, glabrous proximally, purple-tipped subsessile-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 reflexed, ovate to elliptic; petals white, each with 2 basal yellow spots, round to broadly elliptic, clawed, 3–4.5 mm, longer than sepals; filaments strongly club-shaped, (to 6 mm); pistils connate ca. 1/2 their lengths; ovary superior. |
Capsules | green to yellow, distal 1/2 purple, ± folliclelike, (basally connate). |
green to purple, ± folliclelike. |
2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
= 24, 48. |
Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes odontoloma |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer–early autumn. | Flowering summer–early autumn. |
Habitat | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides | Wet meadows and stream banks |
Elevation | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) | 1500-4000 m (4900-13100 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
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AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; 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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. | FNA vol. 8, p. 56. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga lyallii, Saxifraga lyallii subsp. hultenii, Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii | Saxifraga odontoloma |
Name authority | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , | (Piper) A. Heller: Muhlenbergia 8: 60. 1912 , |
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