Micranthes virginiensis |
Micranthes stellaris |
|
---|---|---|
early saxifrage, early small-flower-saxifrage, saxifrage de virginie, Virginia saxifrage |
saxifrage étoilée, starry saxifrage |
|
Habit | Plants solitary or in clumps, with bulbils on caudices. | Plants tufted or mat-forming, with ± branched caudices or stolonlike rhizomes. |
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 ± absent; blade obovate to elliptic, 1–5 cm, ± fleshy, base cuneate, margins 1–3-toothed in distal 1/2, ciliate, surfaces hairy. |
Inflorescences | 30+-flowered, (flowers sometimes secund), very open, lax, ± flat-topped thyrses, 6–50 cm, proximally hairy, distally densely purple-tipped stipitate-glandular. |
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 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, 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 to purplish, folliclelike. |
green to purple, valvate. |
2n | = 20 (+ 0–6 supernumeraries), 38. |
= 28. |
Micranthes virginiensis |
Micranthes stellaris |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Rocky hillsides, cliffs and shaded rock outcrops, stream banks, wooded slopes | Mossy tundra near streams, rocky, gravelly seepage areas |
Elevation | 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) | 0-500 m (0-1600 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
|
LB; NU; QC; Greenland; Europe |
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.) |
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. 61. | FNA vol. 8, p. 57. |
Parent taxa | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes | Saxifragaceae > Micranthes |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Saxifraga virginiensis | Saxifraga stellaris |
Name authority | (Michaux) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S., 501. 1903 , | (Linnaeus) Galasso: Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Mus. Civico Storia Nat. Milano 146: 231. (2005) |
Web links |