Micranthes tolmiei |
Micranthes stellaris |
|
---|---|---|
alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's alpine saxifrage, Tolmie's saxifrage |
saxifrage étoilée, starry saxifrage |
|
Habit | Plants mat-forming, (stems trailing, thin, basally slightly woody), with slender, woody caudices. | Plants tufted or mat-forming, with ± branched caudices or stolonlike rhizomes. |
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 ± absent; blade obovate to elliptic, 1–5 cm, ± fleshy, base cuneate, margins 1–3-toothed in distal 1/2, ciliate, surfaces hairy. |
Inflorescences | 2–10-flowered, lax cymes, sometimes solitary flowers, 3–12 cm, glabrous or purplish- or pink-tipped stipitate-glandular; (bracts 1–3, proximal). |
2–10-flowered, open, lax cymes, sometimes solitary flowers, (all or some flowers replaced with bulbils, bulbils sometimes absent), 5–20 cm, sparsely to moderately purple-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 reflexed, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate; petals white, each with 1–2 basal yellow spots, lanceolate, clawed, 3–8 mm (2 often slightly larger), longer than sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils connate 1/2+ their lengths; ovary superior, (to 1/3 adnate to hypanthium). |
Capsules | green, purple mottled, valvate. |
green to purple, valvate. |
2n | = 30. |
= 28. |
Micranthes tolmiei |
Micranthes stellaris |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Arctic and alpine tundra, fell-fields | Mossy tundra near streams, rocky, gravelly seepage areas |
Elevation | 500-4000 m (1600-13100 ft) | 0-500 m (0-1600 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC
|
LB; NU; QC; Greenland; Europe |
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 stellaris is amphi-Atlantic. In Nunavut, it is known only from Baffin Island. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 54. | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga tolmiei, Saxifraga tolmiei var. ledifolia | Saxifraga stellaris |
Name authority | (Torrey & A. Gray) Brouillet & Gornall: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 1: 1022. 2007 , | (Linnaeus) Galasso: Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civico Storia Nat. Milano 146: 231. (2005) |
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