Minuartia austromontana
Minuartia dawsonensis
Columbian stitchwort, Rocky Mountain sandwort
minuartie de Dawson, rock stitchwort
moderately stout, not woody.
filiform to somewhat thickened.
spreading to erect, cespitose, green, 3–15 cm, glabrous, internodes of all stems 0.2–0.6 times as long as leaves.
erect to ascending, green, 4–30 cm, glabrous, internodes of flowering stems 1–10 times as long as leaves.
tightly overlapping, usually connate proximally, with ± loose, scarious to herbaceous sheath 0.2–0.8 mm;
blade straight to outwardly curved, green, flat, prominently 1-veined abaxially, linear to subulate, 3–10 × 0.1–1 mm, flexuous, margins not thickened, scarious, smooth, apex green or purple, rounded, navicular, shiny, glabrous;
axillary leaves present among cauline leaves.
overlapping or crowded proximally, variably spaced distally, connate proximally, with tight, scarious to herbaceous sheath 0.2–0.5 mm;
blade straight to slightly outwardly curved, green, flat, 1-veined, occasionally 3-veined abaxially, linear to subulate, 4–15 × 0.5–2 mm, flexuous, margins not thickened, scarious, smooth, apex green or purple, mostly rounded, slightly navicular, shiny, glabrous;
axillary leaves present among proximal cauline leaves.
flowers solitary, terminal;
bracts linear to subulate, herbaceous.
7–15-flowered (rarely fewer), open cymes;
bracts subulate, herbaceous.
0.3–1.5(–2) cm, glabrous.
0.3–2.5 cm, glabrous.
hypanthium disc-shaped, sepals prominently 3-veined, linear to lanceolate (herbaceous portion linear to lanceolate), 2–3 mm, enlarging slightly in fruit, apex usually purple, acute or rounded, not hooded, glabrous;
petals usually absent, if present, rudimentary, linear to oblong, shorter than sepals, apex entire.
hypanthium disc-shaped;
sepals prominently 3-veined, ovate to broadly lanceolate (herbaceous portion ovate to broadly lanceolate), 2.5–3.2 mm, to 4 mm in fruit, apex green to purple, acute to apiculate, not hooded, glabrous;
petals lancolate to spatulate, 0.5–0.8 times as long as sepals, apex rounded, entire, or petals absent.
ellipsoid, 2–3 mm, equaling sepals.
on stipe ca. 0.2 mm, ovoid, 3.5–4.5 mm, longer than sepals.
0.6–1 mm, brown, suborbiculate with radicle prolonged into beak, somewhat compressed, minutely tuberculate (50x).
dark brown to black, suborbiculate with radicle prolonged into tiny beak, 0.5–0.6 mm, tuberculate;
tubercles low, rounded, somewhat elongate.
= 30.
= 30, 60.
Minuartia austromontana
Minuartia dawsonensis
Minuartia austromontana is the Rocky Mountains member of the M. rossii complex (S. J. Wolf et al. 1979). Specimens from that region identified as M. rossii subsp. columbiana (Raup) Maguire are probably M. austromontana; contrary to B. Maguire’s (1958) interpretation, the former is a synonym of M. elegans.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Although sometimes included in Minuartia michauxii [e.g., H. J. Scoggan’s (1978–1979, part 3) treatment of Arenaria stricta], M. dawsonensis is more closely related to the circumpolar M. stricta.
Minuartia litorea, known from Quebec and Ontario, may deserve recognition. An unpublished chromosome count suggests that it is a recent allopolyploid derived from M. dawsonensis and M. rubella (L. Brouillet, pers. comm.).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
MI Flora
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