Micranthes tolmiei |
Micranthes rhomboidea |
|
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alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's saxifrage |
diamond-leaf saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants mat-forming, (stems trailing, thin, basally slightly woody), with slender, woody caudices. | Plants solitary or tufted, with bulbils on caudices. |
Leaves | 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. |
basal; petiole flattened, 1–3 cm; blade broadly ovate to triangular, 1–3 cm, fleshy, base attenuate, margins coarsely serrate, ciliate, surfaces sparsely to moderately tangled, reddish brown-hairy abaxially, glabrous adaxially. |
Inflorescences | 2–10-flowered, lax cymes, sometimes solitary flowers, 3–12 cm, glabrous or purplish- or pink-tipped stipitate-glandular; (bracts 1–3, proximal). |
(5–)10–40-flowered, congested, ± glomerate or capitate thyrses, 4–20 cm, usually densely yellow- to cream-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
Flowers | 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). |
sepals ascending, ovate; petals white, not spotted, oblong to elliptic, clawed, 2–4 mm, 1.5+ times as long as sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils connate to 1/2 their lengths; ovary inferior, appearing more superior in fruit. |
Capsules | green, purple mottled, valvate. |
purple, folliclelike. |
2n | = 30. |
= 20, 38, 40, 56. |
Micranthes tolmiei |
Micranthes rhomboidea |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering late spring–summer. |
Habitat | Arctic and alpine tundra, fell-fields | Subalpine and alpine meadows |
Elevation | 500-4000 m (1600-13100 ft) | 1500-4600 m (4900-15100 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC
|
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; UT; WY
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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.) |
Micranthes rhomboidea is somewhat polymorphic; variants have been given taxonomic designations with little consistency. The chromosome number variation needs thorough study, as in other species of Micranthes, because no obvious correlations with morphology or geographic distribution are known (B. L. Bethers 1973). Reports from Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan) were rejected as misidentifications of M. occidentalis. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 54. | FNA vol. 8, p. 69. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga tolmiei, Saxifraga tolmiei var. ledifolia | Saxifraga rhomboidea, Saxifraga austrina, Saxifraga rhomboidea var. austrina, Saxifraga rhomboidea var. franciscana |
Name authority | (Torrey & A. Gray) Brouillet & Gornall: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1022. 2007 , | (Greene) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 136. 1905 , |
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