Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes tolmiei |
Micranthes apetala |
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Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's saxifrage |
tiny swamp saxifrage, western swamp saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, rhizomatous. | Plants mat-forming, (stems trailing, thin, basally slightly woody), with slender, woody caudices. | Plants solitary or in clusters, with bulbils on caudices, or short-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. |
cauline, proximally crowded; petiole absent; blade elliptic-obovate, 0.8–1.5 cm, fleshy, base cuneate, margins entire, sometimes proximally sparsely long-ciliate, surfaces glabrous. |
basal; petiole flattened, 0.5–3 cm; blade ± ovate, 2–5 cm, ± fleshy, base attenuate, margins entire or crenulate, eciliate, surfaces hairy. |
Inflorescences | usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
2–10-flowered, lax cymes, sometimes solitary flowers, 3–12 cm, glabrous or purplish- or pink-tipped stipitate-glandular; (bracts 1–3, proximal). |
10–25-flowered, congested, glomerate thyrses, 4–15 cm, pink- to purple-tipped stipitate-glandular (hairs uniseriate). |
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 erect to spreading, ovate; petals white, not spotted, linear to oblanceolate, 2.5–5 mm, longer than sepals, short- or not clawed; filaments broadly club-shaped (± petaloid); pistils connate to 1/2 their lengths; ovary ± superior (to 1/4 adnate to hypanthium). |
sepals erect to ascending, ovate; petals absent, sometimes 1–5, white to greenish white, not spotted, linear to oblong, clawed, 1–2 mm, much 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, purple mottled, valvate. |
reddish or purplish, folliclelike. |
2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
= 30. |
= 38. |
Micranthes lyallii |
Micranthes tolmiei |
Micranthes apetala |
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Phenology | Flowering summer–early autumn. | Flowering summer. | Flowering early spring–summer. |
Habitat | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides | Arctic and alpine tundra, fell-fields | Vernally moist meadows, wet depressions on mountain slopes |
Elevation | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) | 500-4000 m (1600-13100 ft) | 600-2800 m (2000-9200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
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AK; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC
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ID; MT; OR; WA
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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.) |
Unlike those of most Micranthes species, the leaves of M. tolmiei are proximally cauline and the ovules have two integuments. The seeds have a loose, winglike testa. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. | FNA vol. 8, p. 54. | FNA vol. 8, p. 68. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | |||
Synonyms | Saxifraga lyallii, Saxifraga lyallii subsp. hultenii, Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii | Saxifraga tolmiei, Saxifraga tolmiei var. ledifolia | Saxifraga apetala, Saxifraga integrifolia var. apetala |
Name authority | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , | (Torrey & A. Gray) Brouillet & Gornall: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1022. 2007 , | (Piper) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 135. 1905 , |
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