Micranthes nelsoniana |
Micranthes aprica |
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dotted saxifrage, heartleaf saxifrage, Nelson's saxifrage, saxifrage |
Sierra saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or tufted, with bulbils on branched caudices, rhizomatous. | Plants solitary, in clumps, or sometimes mat-forming, with bulbils on caudices, or rhizomatous. | ||||||||||||||||
Leaves | basal; petiole rounded, 3–30 cm; blade reniform to round, 2–9 cm, thin or slightly fleshy, sometimes thick and fleshy, base cordate, margins deeply crenate, eciliate or sparsely short glandular-ciliate, surfaces glabrous or ± hairy. |
basal; petiole flattened, 0.5–2 cm; blade obovate to elliptic, 1.5–4 cm, fleshy, base attenuate, margins entire or apically denticulate, eciliate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy. |
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Inflorescences | 10+-flowered, ± open, lax to congested, conic, sometimes also glomerate thyrses, 10–35 cm, tangled-hairy (pilose-arachnoid) at least distally, sometimes also purple- or brown-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
5+-flowered, densely crowded in 1–3 glomerulate, often flat-topped thyrses, 3.5–15(–20) cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
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Flowers | sepals reflexed, ± ovate; petals white to pinkish, rarely orange-spotted, ovate to oblong, narrowly to broadly clawed, 2.5–4.5 mm, longer than sepals; filaments distinctly club-shaped; pistils connate 1/2–3/4 their lengths; ovary superior (to 1/3 adnate to hypanthium). |
sepals ascending to spreading, ovate; petals white, not spotted, elliptic to linear, clawed, 1.8–3 mm, slightly longer than sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils connate to 1/2 their lengths; ovary inferior, appearing more superior in fruit. |
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Capsules | green to yellow and purplish tinged to dark purple, valvate. |
purple, folliclelike. |
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2n | = 20. |
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Micranthes nelsoniana |
Micranthes aprica |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Rocky alpine and snowbed meadows | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 1700-4500 m (5600-14800 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
AK; OR; WA; AB; BC; NT; NU; YT; Europe (ne Russia); Asia
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CA; NV; OR
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Discussion | Varieties 6 (5 in the flora). Although sometimes reported for North America, Saxifraga nelsoniana var. aestivalis (Fischer & C. A. Meyer) H. Ohba (S. aestivalis Fischer & C. A. Meyer) is found only in Eurasia. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Specimens of Micranthes aprica from the Klamath region of California and Oregon are unusually robust, occur at unusually low elevations, and have usually pollen-sterile flowers (P. E. Elvander 1984). In the Steens Mountains of southwestern Oregon, specimens that are morphologically similar to M. rhomboidea from some Utah locations can be found. Although tentatively relegated to M. aprica, these populations need thorough study. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 54. | FNA vol. 8, p. 69. | ||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | ||||||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||||||
Synonyms | Saxifraga nelsoniana, Saxifraga punctata subsp. nelsoniana, Saxifraga punctata var. nelsoniana | Saxifraga aprica | ||||||||||||||||
Name authority | (D. Don) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 147. 1905 , | (Greene) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 135. (1905) | ||||||||||||||||
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