Micranthes rufidula |
Micranthes occidentalis |
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rusty-hair saxifrage |
mountain saxifrage, redwool saxifrage, western saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or in groups, with bulbils on caudices, or rhizomatous. | Plants in groups or sometimes almost mat-forming, with bulbils on caudices or rhizomatous. |
Leaves | basal; petiole flattened, 4–8 cm; blade ovate to elliptic, 1–4 cm, fleshy, base attenuate to ± truncate, margins serrate (15–30- toothed), eciliate, surfaces densely tangled, reddish brown-hairy abaxially, glabrous adaxially. |
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. |
Inflorescences | 15+-flowered, open, flat-topped thyrses, 5–20 cm, purple-tipped stipitate-glandular; (bracts often tangled brown-hairy). |
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). |
Flowers | sepals spreading, ovate, (often tangled brown-hairy); petals white, not spotted, ovate to elliptic, clawed, 2–4 mm, longer than sepals; filaments linear, flattened to slightly club-shaped; pistils distinct almost to base; ovary superior, (to 1/3 adnate to hypanthium). |
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 to reddish purple, folliclelike. |
greenish or reddish to ± dark purple, folliclelike. |
2n | = 20, 38, 56, 58. |
= 20, 38, 40, 56, 58. |
Micranthes rufidula |
Micranthes occidentalis |
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Phenology | Flowering late winter–summer. | Flowering spring–summer. |
Habitat | Wet to dry, rocky ledges | Wet, rocky or gravelly slopes, moist to dry alpine meadows, flushes |
Elevation | 0-3000 m (0-9800 ft) | 500-4000 m (1600-13100 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; WA; BC
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AK; ID; MT; NV; OR; SD; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
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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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 62. | FNA vol. 8, p. 62. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga aequidentata, Saxifraga occidentalis subsp. rufidula, Saxifraga occidentalis var. rufidula, Saxifraga rufidula | Saxifraga occidentalis, Saxifraga allenii, Saxifraga occidentalis var. allenii, Saxifraga occidentalis var. wallowensis, Saxifraga reflexa subsp. occidentalis, Saxifraga saximontana |
Name authority | Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 140. (1905) | (S. Watson) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 144. 1905 , |
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