Paronychia argyrocoma |
Paronychia pulvinata |
|
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silverling, silvery nailwort, silvery whitlow-wort |
Rocky Mountain nailwort |
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Habit | Plants perennial, matted; caudex woody. | Plants perennial, densely cespitose, cushion-forming; caudex much-branched, woody. |
Stems | prostrate to ascending, much-branched, 5–60 cm, often retrorsely pubescent on 1 side. |
prostrate, much-branched, 5–10 cm, puberulent. |
Leaves | stipules lanceolate, 2.5–8 mm, apex acute, entire; blade linear to linear-lanceolate or -oblanceolate, 5–30 × 0.5–2 mm, leathery, apex acute, often mucronate, sparsely appressed-pubescent. |
stipules ovate, 3–6 mm, apex subobtuse, entire; blade narrowly elliptic-oblong or oblong to narrowly elliptic-oblanceolate, 2–5 × 0.2–1.8(–2) mm, fleshy, apex obtuse to subacute, glabrous. |
Flowers | 5-merous, short-cylindric to ovoid, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx cylindric to tapering distally, 3.5–6.5 mm, pubescent with antrorse, slightly spreading, silky hairs; sepals greenish to brownish, veins 3, obscure, ribs absent, narrowly lanceolate, 2–3.2 mm, leathery to rigid, margins translucent, ca. 0.1 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by awn, hood narrowly triangular, awn straight to slightly divergent, white, 0.9–2 mm, scabrous, spinose; staminodes narrowly triangular, 0.4–0.6 mm; style 1, cleft in distal 1/6, 1.4–2 mm. |
mostly solitary at end of shoots, almost concealed by leaves.; flowers 5-merous, elliptic-oblong, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx straight to tapering distally, 2.5–2.8 mm, densely appressed-puberulent, sparsely so distally; sepals whitish to green, veins absent, narrowly oblong to ovate-oblong, 1.5–1.7 mm, papery to herbaceous, margins white, 0.2–0.3 mm wide, papery, apex with subterminal awn, hood ascending as continuation of sepal, broadly rounded to notched, awn erect, white, 0.3–0.6(–1) mm, ± glabrous spine; staminodes filiform, 0.7–0.9 mm; style 1, cleft in distal 1/3, 0.8–1 mm. |
Cymes | terminal, 15–25+-flowered, very compact, forming conspicuous glomerules 10–20 mm wide. |
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Utricles | oblong, 1.5–1.8 mm, smooth, pubescent distally. |
ovoid, 1.3–1.5 mm, smooth, glabrous. |
2n | = 32. |
|
Paronychia argyrocoma |
Paronychia pulvinata |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring–early fall. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | On or among rocks | Rocky slopes and summit screes in alpine regions |
Elevation | 200-1800 m (700-5900 ft) | 3300-4200 m (10800-13800 ft) |
Distribution |
GA; KY; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; TN; VA; VT; WV
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CO; UT; WY
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Discussion | Plants of Paronychia argyrocoma with glabrous or barely scabrous leaves and glabrous sepal awns have sometimes been recognized as var. albimontana. They are found in both the southern and northern areas of the species range, but, curiously, not in the central portion (M. N. Chaudhri 1968). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 33. | FNA vol. 5, p. 40. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Anychia argyrocoma, P. argyrocoma subsp. albimontana, P. argyrocoma var. albimontana | P. pulvinata var. longiaristata |
Name authority | (Michaux) Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 1: 160. (1818) | A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 58. (1864) |
Web links |