Montia fontana
Montia
annual water miner's-lettuce, blinks, spring water chickweed, water blinks, water chickweed, water montia
minerslettuce, montia, toad lily, water chickweed
prostrate or decumbent, 1–30 cm, freely rooting at nodes, forming mats.
prostrate to decumbent or erect, usually branched, often rooting at nodes.
opposite, sessile;
blade oblanceolate to rhombic, 2–20 × 0.5–10 mm.
cauline and sometimes basal;
basal leaves in rosettes;
cauline leaves 3 or more, alternate, opposite, or secund, distinct, not articulate at base, somewhat to markedly clasping, attachment points linear, petiolate or sessile;
blade linear, oblong, lanceolate or oblanceolate to rhombic, ovate, or suborbiculate.
leafy.
axillary or terminal, racemose, somewhat to markedly secund (at least terminally), ebracteate or 1-bracteate at base of each flower.
1–8, slightly bilateral;
sepals 1–1.5 mm;
petals 5, connate proximally, white, unequal, 1–2 mm;
stamens 3, anther pink or yellow.
radially symmetric (slightly irregular in M. fontana), not showy (except in M. parvifolia and M. bostockii), occasionally replaced by bulbils in M. chamissoi;
sepals persistent, unequal;
petals 5, sometimes absent, usually distinct (connate proximally in M. fontana);
stamens 3–5 (occasionally 2 in M. howellii);
ovary globose or linear-oblong, ovules 3;
style 1;
stigmas 3.
3-valved, longitudinally dehiscent from apex, valves not deciduous, margins involute.
0.7–1.2 mm, tuberculate;
elaiosome present.
1–3, black, rounded, tuberculate (appearing smooth in M. parvifolia);
elaiosome absent or, less than 1 mm.
= 7, 8, 10, 11.
= 20, 40.
Montia fontana
Montia
Montia fontana displays a multitude of forms varying in stature, leaf shape, and seed size. Segregate species, varieties, and subspecies have been named. Based on my study of worldwide collections of the species, much variation in M. fontana is attributable to phenotypic differentiation of ramets produced by local environmental conditions and unrelated to genetic variation. Until macromolecular or other studies shed light on the variation in M. fontana, it seems pointless to recognize infraspecific taxa or segregate species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species 12 (8 in the flora).
The classification of Montia is in transition. It is widely recognized that the genus as traditionally treated is a rather disparate assemblage of species, albeit closely related. Several segregate genera have been described, but as R. C. Carolin (1993) has observed, “while some are almost certainly recognizable at the generic level, the others probably less certainly.” With the current legitimate uncertainty, it is appropriate to treat Montia here in the broad, traditional sense. To do otherwise is to give the impression that we know more about the relationships of the species than is actually the case.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaves opposite, never alternate or borne on flowering stems | → 2 |
1. Leaves alternate or secund, or borne on flowering stems | → 3 |
2. Plants annual or biennial, never bulbiferous; stems prostrate or decumbent; stamens 3 | M. fontana |
2. Plants perennial, usually bulbiferous; stems erect; stamens 5 | M. chamissoi |
3. Petals 6-15 mm, always present; plants rhizomatous or stoloniferous, often bulbiferous | → 4 |
3. Petals 0.7-6 mm, sometimes absent; plants not rhizomatous, stoloniferous, or bulbiferous | → 5 |
4. Plants not bulbiferous; leaves not in basal rosette; inflorescences 1-bracteate; Alaska, Yukon | M. bostockii |
4. Plants often bulbiferous; leaves in basal rosettes; inflorescences leafy; Pacific coast, cordillera of w North America | M. parvifolia |
5. Leaf blades 10-40 mm wide; clasping leaf sheaths absent; stamens 5 | M. diffusa |
5. Leaf blades 0.5-4 mm wide; clasping leaf sheaths present; stamens (2-)3-5 | → 6 |
6. Petals often absent; inflorescences axillary | M. howellii |
6. Petals present; inflorescences terminal | → 7 |
7. Flowers 2-8; seeds 1.2-2.6 mm; stems 2-30 cm | M. linearis |
7. Flowers 4-12; seeds 0.8-1.2 mm; stems 1-10 cm | M. dichotoma |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
