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alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's saxifrage

Habit Plants solitary or tufted, short, thick-rhizomatous. Plants mat-forming, (stems trailing, thin, basally slightly woody), with slender, woody caudices.
Leaves

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.

cauline, proximally crowded;

petiole absent;

blade elliptic-obovate, 0.8–1.5 cm, fleshy, base cuneate, margins entire, sometimes proximally sparsely long-ciliate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

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

2–10-flowered, lax cymes, sometimes solitary flowers, 3–12 cm, glabrous or purplish- or pink-tipped stipitate-glandular; (bracts 1–3, proximal).

Flowers

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).

sepals erect to spreading, ovate;

petals white, not spotted, linear to oblanceolate, 2.5–5 mm, longer than sepals, short- or not clawed;

filaments broadly club-shaped (± petaloid);

pistils connate to 1/2 their lengths;

ovary ± superior (to 1/4 adnate to hypanthium).

Capsules

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

green, purple mottled, valvate.

2n

= 30.

Micranthes spicata

Micranthes tolmiei

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Wet tundra, heaths, moist, rocky areas, streamsides Arctic and alpine tundra, fell-fields
Elevation 0-1700 m (0-5600 ft) 500-4000 m (1600-13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; YT
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Unlike those of most Micranthes species, the leaves of M. tolmiei are proximally cauline and the ovules have two integuments. The seeds have a loose, winglike testa.

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

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 57. FNA vol. 8, p. 54.
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. 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
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. spicata, M. stellaris, M. subapetala, M. tempestiva, M. tenuis, M. texana, M. tischii, M. unalaschcensis, M. virginiensis
Synonyms Saxifraga spicata Saxifraga tolmiei, Saxifraga tolmiei var. ledifolia
Name authority (D. Don) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 146. (1905) (Torrey & A. Gray) Brouillet & Gornall: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1022. 2007 ,
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