Flora of North America species comparison

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Montia linearis

Montia

line-leaf Indian lettuce, line-leaf montia, narrow leaf water chickweed, narrow-leaf montia, narrow-leafed montia, narrowleaf miner's-lettuce

minerslettuce, montia, toad lily, water chickweed
Habit Plants annual, not rhizomatous, stoloniferous, or bulbiferous. Herbs, annual, biennial, or perennial, sometimes rhizomatous and/or stoloniferous, or with branched caudices (M. parvifolia), sometimes bulbiferous, succulent, glabrous.
Stems

erect, branched or simple, 2–30 cm.

prostrate to decumbent or erect, usually branched, often rooting at nodes.
Leaves

alternate, erect, not distinctly petiolate, with clasping leaf sheaths;

blade linear, 2–60 × 1–4 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.
Inflorescences

terminal, 1-bracteate;

bract linear to oblanceolate, to 20 × 2 mm.

axillary or terminal, racemose, somewhat to markedly secund (at least terminally), ebracteate or 1-bracteate at base of each flower.
Flowers

2–8;

sepals 3–7 mm;

petals 5, white, 4–6 mm;

stamens 3–5, anther 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.
Capsules

3-valved, longitudinally dehiscent from apex, valves not deciduous, margins involute.
Seeds

1.2–2.6 mm, tuberculate;

elaiosome absent.

1–3, black, rounded, tuberculate (appearing smooth in M. parvifolia);

elaiosome absent or, less than 1 mm.
x

= 7, 8, 10, 11.
2n

= 28.

Montia linearis

Montia
Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Dry to moist habitats, coastal and inland valleys to montane, coniferous forests
Elevation 0-2500 m (0-8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MS; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
Worldwide
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Montia linearis is a highly uniform 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.)
Key
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
Source FNA vol. 4, p. 488. FNA vol. 4, p. 485. Author: John M. Miller.
Parent taxa Portulacaceae > Montia Portulacaceae
Sibling taxa
M. bostockii, M. chamissoi, M. dichotoma, M. diffusa, M. fontana, M. howellii, M. parvifolia
Subordinate taxa
M. bostockii, M. chamissoi, M. dichotoma, M. diffusa, M. fontana, M. howellii, M. linearis, M. parvifolia
Synonyms Claytonia linearis Claytoniella, Crunocallis, Limnalsine, Maxia, Mona, Montiastrum, Naiocrene, Neopaxia, Paxia
Name authority (Douglas ex Hooker) Greene: Fl. Francisc., 181. (1891) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 87. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 38. (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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