The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Palmer's saxifrage

Habit Plants solitary or in clumps, with bulbils on caudices. Plants solitary or tufted, short, thick-rhizomatous.
Leaves

basal;

petiole flattened, 1–9 cm;

blade ovate to elliptic, 2–8 cm, slightly fleshy, base attenuate, margins entire or subentire, ciliate, surfaces tangled, reddish brown-hairy.

basal;

petiole rounded, 4–15 cm;

blade round, ovate, or reniform, 3–15 cm, thin, base cordate, margins serrate to dentate, ciliate, surfaces hairy to glabrate.

Inflorescences

30+-flowered, (flowers sometimes almost secund), very open, lax thyrses, 6–50 cm, hairy proximally, densely so distally.

15+-flowered, congested, spikelike thyrses, 15–50(–70) cm, tangled, pink- to purple-tipped stipitate-glandular.

Flowers

sepals erect to ascending, ovate to triangular;

petals white, not spotted, broadly oblong to elliptic, not clawed, 3–6 mm, 2+ times as long as sepals;

filaments linear, flattened;

pistils distinct almost to base;

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

sepals reflexed, oblong to ovate;

petals cream to yellowish, not spotted, oblong, not clawed, 3–4.5 mm, longer than sepals;

filaments narrowly club-shaped;

pistils connate at least 1/2 their lengths;

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

Capsules

green with reddish or purplish tinge, or reddish purple, folliclelike.

green, purplish tinged, ± folliclelike, (basally connate).

Micranthes palmeri

Micranthes spicata

Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering summer.
Habitat Rocky, open woodlands Wet tundra, heaths, moist, rocky areas, streamsides
Elevation 100-1000 m (300-3300 ft) 0-1700 m (0-5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; OK
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; YT
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 61. FNA vol. 8, p. 57.
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. occidentalis, M. odontoloma, M. oregana, 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. 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. occidentalis, M. odontoloma, M. oregana, M. palmeri, M. pensylvanica, M. petiolaris, M. razshivinii, M. reflexa, M. rhomboidea, M. rufidula, M. stellaris, M. subapetala, M. tempestiva, M. tenuis, M. texana, M. tischii, M. tolmiei, M. unalaschcensis, M. virginiensis
Synonyms Saxifraga palmeri, Saxifraga virginiensis var. subintegra Saxifraga spicata
Name authority Bush: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 11: 221. 1928 , (D. Don) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 146. (1905)
Web links