Paronychia franciscana |
Paronychia pulvinata |
|
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California whitlow wort, San Francisco nailwort, San Francisco whitlow wort |
Rocky Mountain nailwort |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, mat-forming; caudex branched, woody. | Plants perennial, densely cespitose, cushion-forming; caudex much-branched, woody. |
Stems | prostrate, usually much-branched throughout, 5–50 cm, pubescent. |
prostrate, much-branched, 5–10 cm, puberulent. |
Leaves | stipules ovate-lanceolate, 3–6 mm, apex narrowly acute to long-acuminate, entire; blade elliptic to oblanceolate, 5–10 × 1.5–2.5 mm, ± fleshy, apex spinulous, entire, ± moderately antrorsely 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, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx cylindric to slightly tapering distally, 1.9–2.4 mm, glabrous, sepals puberulent distally; sepals greenish, becoming reddish brown, midrib and lateral pair of veins often apparent, oblong to ovate, 1.2–1.3 mm, herbaceous, margins translucent, ca. 0.1 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by awn, hood broadly rounded, awn erect, 0.5–0.7 mm, conic in proximal 1/6 with whitish, smooth spine; staminodes absent; styles 2, 0.2–0.3 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 | axillary, inconspicuous, 2–6-flowered, tightly congested. |
|
Utricles | ± globose to 4-angled, 1.2–1.3 mm, papillate distally. |
ovoid, 1.3–1.5 mm, smooth, glabrous. |
2n | = 32. |
|
Paronychia franciscana |
Paronychia pulvinata |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Grassy hills | Rocky slopes and summit screes in alpine regions |
Elevation | 20-300 m (100-1000 ft) | 3300-4200 m (10800-13800 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; South America (Chile) [Introduced in North America]
|
CO; UT; WY
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Discussion | Although Paronychia franciscana was described from California, where it has been known from the San Francisco area since 1887, the species is native in Chile. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 38. | FNA vol. 5, p. 40. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. pulvinata var. longiaristata | |
Name authority | Eastwood: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 288. (1901) | A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 58. (1864) |
Web links |