Micranthes virginiensis |
Micranthes spicata |
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early saxifrage, early small-flower-saxifrage, saxifrage de virginie, Virginia saxifrage |
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Habit | Plants solitary or in clumps, with bulbils on caudices. | Plants solitary or tufted, short, thick-rhizomatous. |
Leaves | basal; petiole flattened, 1–9 cm; blade ovate to elliptic, 2–8 cm, ± fleshy, base attenuate, margins irregularly crenate to serrate, ciliate, surfaces sparsely to ± densely stipitate-glandular and tangled, reddish brown-hairy, adaxially glabrescent. |
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. |
Inflorescences | 30+-flowered, (flowers sometimes secund), very open, lax, ± flat-topped thyrses, 6–50 cm, proximally hairy, distally densely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
15+-flowered, congested, spikelike thyrses, 15–50(–70) cm, tangled, pink- to purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
Flowers | sepals erect to ascending (even in fruit), ovate to triangular; petals white, not spotted, broadly oblong to elliptic, not or rarely slightly clawed, 3–6 mm, 2+ times as long as sepals; filaments linear, flattened; pistils distinct almost to base; ovary ± superior, (to 1/3 adnate hypanthium). |
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). |
Capsules | green to purplish, folliclelike. |
green, purplish tinged, ± folliclelike, (basally connate). |
2n | = 20 (+ 0–6 supernumeraries), 38. |
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Micranthes virginiensis |
Micranthes spicata |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Rocky hillsides, cliffs and shaded rock outcrops, stream banks, wooded slopes | Wet tundra, heaths, moist, rocky areas, streamsides |
Elevation | 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) | 0-1700 m (0-5600 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CT; DC; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WV; MB; NB; ON; QC
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AK; YT |
Discussion | Also reported for Micranthes virginiensis is 2n = 28; D. E. Soltis (1983) documented zero to six supernumerary chromosomes in this species and speculated that this report may have included eight supernumeraries. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 61. | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga virginiensis | Saxifraga spicata |
Name authority | (Michaux) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S., 501. 1903 , | (D. Don) Small: in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 22: 146. (1905) |
Web links |