Micranthes nelsoniana |
Micranthes lyallii |
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dotted saxifrage, heartleaf saxifrage, Nelson's saxifrage, saxifrage |
Lyall's saxifrage, red-stem saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or tufted, with bulbils on branched caudices, rhizomatous. | Plants solitary or sometimes mat-forming, 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 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. |
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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. |
usually 10–15-flowered, lax, cylindric thyrses, (red), (4–)7–30 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 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). |
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Capsules | green to yellow and purplish tinged to dark purple, valvate. |
green to yellow, distal 1/2 purple, ± folliclelike, (basally connate). |
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2n | = ca. 56, 58. |
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Micranthes nelsoniana |
Micranthes lyallii |
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Phenology | Flowering summer–early autumn. | |||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Wet, rocky meadows, mountain to alpine streamsides | |||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 800-4000 m (2600-13100 ft) | |||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
AK; OR; WA; AB; BC; NT; NU; YT; Europe (ne Russia); Asia
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AK; ID; MT; WA; AB; BC; NT; YT
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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.) |
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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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 54. | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. | ||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | ||||||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||||||
Synonyms | Saxifraga nelsoniana, Saxifraga punctata subsp. nelsoniana, Saxifraga punctata var. nelsoniana | Saxifraga lyallii, Saxifraga lyallii subsp. hultenii, Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii | ||||||||||||||||
Name authority | (D. Don) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 147. 1905 , | (Engler) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 143. 1905 , | ||||||||||||||||
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