Micranthes petiolaris |
Micranthes aprica |
|
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Michaux's saxifrage |
Sierra saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or tufted, with bulbils on caudices. | Plants solitary, in clumps, or sometimes mat-forming, with bulbils on caudices, or rhizomatous. |
Leaves | basal; petiole somewhat flattened, 2–6 cm; blade oblanceolate, 2–12 cm, thin, basecuneate to ± attenuate, margins usually 15+-toothed (teeth large, lobelike), densely long glandular-ciliate, surfaces 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. |
Inflorescences | 30+-flowered, very open, lax thyrses, (flowers rarely replaced by bulbils), 10–40 cm, densely tangled, purple-tipped stipitate-glandular; (bracts leaflike, gradually reduced distally). |
5+-flowered, densely crowded in 1–3 glomerulate, often flat-topped thyrses, 3.5–15(–20) cm, sparsely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
Flowers | slightly bilaterally symmetric; sepals reflexed, oblong to elliptic; petals white, 3 with 2 basal yellow spots, 2 without spots, oblanceolate to spatulate, clawed, 3–4.5 mm, longer than sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils connate 1/2+ their lengths; ovary superior. |
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. |
Capsules | green to yellow, sometimes purple tinged, valvate |
purple, folliclelike. |
2n | = 20. |
|
Micranthes petiolaris |
Micranthes aprica |
|
Phenology | Flowering late spring–early autumn. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Wet ledges, boulderfields, and rocky slopes, usually in thin soil over rock | Rocky alpine and snowbed meadows |
Elevation | 500-2100 m (1600-6900 ft) | 1700-4500 m (5600-14800 ft) |
Distribution |
GA; KY; MD; NC; SC; TN; VA; WV
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CA; NV; OR
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Discussion | Micranthes petiolaris (Rafinesque) Brouillet & Gornall is an isonym. (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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 58. | FNA vol. 8, p. 69. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Hexaphoma petiolaris, Saxifraga michauxii, Saxifraga petiolaris | Saxifraga aprica |
Name authority | (Rafinesque) Bush: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 11: 225. 1928 , | (Greene) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 135. (1905) |
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