Minuartia nuttallii
Minuartia obtusiloba
brittle sandwort, musk-flower, Nuttall sandwort, Nuttall's sandwort, Nuttall's stitchwort
alpine sandwort, alpine stitchwort, arctic sandwort, twin-flower sandwort
thickened, woody;
crown, many-branched, woody;
rhizomes and trailing stems to 60 cm.
stout, woody.
ascending to erect, ± green, 2–20 cm, densely glandular-hairy throughout, internodes of flowering stems 0.2–2 times as long as leaves.
erect, green, 1–12 cm, trailing stems 2–20+ cm, stipitate-glandular, internodes of flowering stems 1–6 times as long as leaves.
tightly appressed to spreading, ± evenly spaced, connate proximally, with ± loose, scarious sheath 0.1–0.7 mm;
blade straight to recurved, ± green, flat, prominently 1-veined abaxially, broadly lanceolate to linear, 5–20 × 0.5–1.5 mm, ± rigid, margins rounded, scarious in proximal 1/3–1/4, apex green to purple, acute to acuminate or spinescent, navicular with small mucro or spinescent, dull, stipitate-glandular;
axillary leaves present proximally to throughout.
tightly overlapping (vegetative), variably spaced (cauline), usually connate proximally, with tight, scarious to herbaceous sheath 0.3–1.5 mm;
blade straight to outwardly curved, green, 3-angled, 3-veined abaxially, midrib prominent, lateral veins weak in distal 1/3, needlelike to subulate, 1–8 × 0.4–1 mm, flexuous, margins not thickened, herbaceous, sometimes finely ciliate, apex green, rounded to acute, often apiculate, somewhat navicular, shiny, glabrous;
axillary leaves present among vegetative leaves.
(3–)6–30-flowered, open cymes;
bracts lanceolate to subulate, usually scarious.
solitary flowers, terminal, or occasionally in 2–3-flowered, open cymes;
bracts subulate, herbaceous.
0.2–2 cm, stipitate-glandular.
0.3–1.5 cm, stipitate-glandular.
hypanthium disc-shaped;
sepals 1–3-veined, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate or ovate (herbaceous portion narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate or ovate), 3–6(–7) mm, not enlarging in fruit, apex often purple, acute to acuminate or spinescent, not hooded, stipitate-glandular;
petals obovate, 0.5–1.6 times as long as sepals, apex rounded, entire.
hypanthium cup-shaped;
sepals prominently 3-veined proximally, narrowly ovate to oblong (herbaceous portion lanceolate to oblong), 2.9–6.5 mm, not enlarging in fruit, apex often purple, narrowly rounded, hooded;
petals ovate to spatulate, 1.2–2 times as long as sepals, apex rounded, entire.
on stipe ca. 0.1–0.2 mm, ovoid, 5 mm, usually shorter than sepals.
narrowly ellipsoid, 3.5–6 mm, equaling sepals.
reddish brown to dark brown, oblong-elliptic with hilar notch on 1 end, 1.5–2.7 mm, tuberculate;
tubercles low-rounded.
reddish tan, suborbiculate with radicle prolonged into beak, somewhat compressed, 0.6–0.7 mm, obscurely sculptured (50x).
= 26, ca. 52, 78.
Minuartia nuttallii
Minuartia obtusiloba
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).
Minuartia nuttallii, M. decumbens, M. rosei, and M. stolonifera form a complex that, together with the eastern species M. caroliniana and M. michauxii, comprise sect. Sclerophylla Mattfeld. The four western species all have capsules that contain one to three(?) large (1.5–2.8 mm) seeds; unfortunately, these plants appear to be collected only rarely in fruit.
Minuartia nuttallii includes four varieties, which can, for the most part, be easily recognized. There is some overlap between var. gracilis and var. fragilis in western Nevada and southeastern Oregon, where some plants exhibit prominently arcuate-spreading leaves (as in var. fragilis) and weakly veined sepals (as in var. gracilis).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Minuartia obtusiloba, an amphi-Beringian species, sometimes forms hybrid swarms with M. arctica. Specimens labeled Arenaria sajanensis Willdenow ex Schlechtendal from western North America, sometimes referred to M. biflora (e.g., H. J. Scoggan 1978–1979, part 3), are likely to be M. obtusiloba.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaf blade apices spinecent; sepal apices spinescent | → 2 |
1. Leaf blade apices acute to acuminate, somewhat navicular; sepal apices acuminate | → 3 |
2. Leaves prominently arcuate-spreading, blade 10-20 mm; sepals (1-)3-veined | var. fragilis |
2. Leaves appressed to occasionally arcuate- spreading, blade 5-7 mm; sepals 1(-3)-veined | var. gracilis |
3. Sepals lanceolate to narrowly so; petals 0.5-1.2 times as long as sepals | var. nuttallii |
3. Sepals ovate to lanceolate; petals 1.1-1.6 times as long as sepals | var. gregaria |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
