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mountain saxifrage, redwool saxifrage, western saxifrage

bud saxifrage

Habit Plants in groups or sometimes almost mat-forming, with bulbils on caudices or rhizomatous. Plants solitary or tufted, with bulbils on caudices.
Leaves

basal;

petiole flattened, 1–5 cm;

blade ovate to elliptic, 1.5–3.5 cm, ± fleshy, base ± attenuate to ± truncate, margins shallowly, sharply serrate, ciliate, surfaces sparsely tangled, reddish brown-hairy abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

± basal;

petiole absent;

blade linear to narrowly elliptic, 0.5–4 cm, fleshy, base cuneate, margins subentire, ciliate, surfaces hirsute.

Inflorescences

usually (10–)30+-flowered, flowers crowded into 1+ glomerules in thyrses with ascending branches, 8–30 cm, purple-tipped stipitate-glandular; (bracts glabrous or marginally glandular-ciliate).

usually 2–3+-flowered, open, lax thyrses, sometimes solitary flowers, (flowers terminal, proximal usually replaced by bulbils, sometimes bulbils absent), 2–25 cm, stipitate-glandular. (Pedicels reflexed.) Flowers: sepals reflexed, elliptic;

petals white, each with 2 basal yellow spots, triangular to broadly ovate, clawed, 3–5 mm, longer than sepals;

filaments linear, flattened;

pistils connate 1/2+ their lengths;

ovary superior, (to 1/3 adnate to hypanthium).

Flowers

sepals ascending to spreading, sometimes reflexed in fruit, ovate to oblong, (surfaces glabrous);

petals white, not spotted (spots rarely present), obovate to almost round, clawed, 2–4 mm, to 1.5 times as long as sepals;

filaments linear to very slightly widened near anthers, flattened;

pistils distinct almost to base;

ovary ± superior.

Capsules

greenish or reddish to ± dark purple, folliclelike.

green to yellow, purple tinged, valvate.

2n

= 20, 38, 40, 56, 58.

Micranthes occidentalis

Micranthes bryophora

Phenology Flowering spring–summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Wet, rocky or gravelly slopes, moist to dry alpine meadows, flushes Wet meadows, rocky ledges
Elevation 500-4000 m (1600-13100 ft) 1600-4500 m (5200-14800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; ID; MT; NV; OR; SD; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Micranthes occidentalis appears closely related to the little-known M. mexicana (Engler & Irmscher) Brouillet & Gornall from Chihuahua, Mexico. The latter is the only species of the genus that occurs in Mexico and not in the United States. Micranthes occidentalis is disjunct between the northern Rocky Mountains and the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan, and the Black Hills of South Dakota. It hybridizes with M. idahoensis where their ranges overlap.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Specimens of Micranthes bryophora from the disjunct populations in Idaho have been called Saxifraga bryophora var. tobiasiae; they appear to overlap in morphology with the California plants and are not distinguished here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 62. FNA vol. 8, p. 58.
Parent taxa Saxifragaceae > Micranthes Saxifragaceae > Micranthes
Sibling taxa
M. apetala, M. aprica, M. bryophora, M. californica, M. calycina, M. careyana, M. caroliniana, M. eriophora, M. ferruginea, M. foliolosa, M. fragosa, M. gaspensis, M. gormanii, M. hieraciifolia, M. hitchcockiana, M. howellii, M. idahoensis, M. integrifolia, M. lyallii, M. marshallii, M. micranthidifolia, M. nelsoniana, M. nidifica, M. nivalis, M. nudicaulis, M. odontoloma, M. oregana, M. palmeri, M. pensylvanica, M. petiolaris, M. razshivinii, M. reflexa, M. rhomboidea, M. rufidula, M. spicata, M. stellaris, M. subapetala, M. tempestiva, M. tenuis, M. texana, M. tischii, M. tolmiei, M. unalaschcensis, M. virginiensis
M. apetala, M. aprica, M. californica, M. calycina, M. careyana, M. caroliniana, M. eriophora, M. ferruginea, M. foliolosa, M. fragosa, M. gaspensis, M. gormanii, M. hieraciifolia, M. hitchcockiana, M. howellii, M. idahoensis, M. integrifolia, M. lyallii, M. marshallii, M. micranthidifolia, M. nelsoniana, M. nidifica, M. nivalis, M. nudicaulis, M. occidentalis, M. odontoloma, M. oregana, M. palmeri, M. pensylvanica, M. petiolaris, M. razshivinii, M. reflexa, M. rhomboidea, M. rufidula, M. spicata, M. stellaris, M. subapetala, M. tempestiva, M. tenuis, M. texana, M. tischii, M. tolmiei, M. unalaschcensis, M. virginiensis
Synonyms Saxifraga occidentalis, Saxifraga allenii, Saxifraga occidentalis var. allenii, Saxifraga occidentalis var. wallowensis, Saxifraga reflexa subsp. occidentalis, Saxifraga saximontana Saxifraga bryophora, Saxifraga bryophora var. tobiasiae
Name authority (S. Watson) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 144. 1905 , (A. Gray) Brouillet & Gornall: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1020. (2007)
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