Paronychia pulvinata |
Caryophyllaceae subfam. paronychioideae |
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Rocky Mountain nailwort |
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Habit | Plants perennial, densely cespitose, cushion-forming; caudex much-branched, woody. | Herbs [small shrubs], annual, biennial, or perennial; taprooted, not rhizomatous. |
Stems | prostrate, much-branched, 5–10 cm, puberulent. |
prostrate to ascending or erect, simple or branched. |
Leaves | 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. |
opposite, distalmost or all sometimes alternate, bases connate or not, sometimes petiolate, stipulate; stipules ovate or deltate to lanceolate or spatulate, scarious; blade needlelike or often spatulate to elliptic or suborbiculate, seldom succulent. |
Inflorescences | terminal or axillary cymes or flowers solitary; bracts foliaceous or usually scarious; involucel bracteoles absent. |
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Pedicels | present or flowers sessile. |
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Flowers | 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. |
bisexual or sometimes unisexual (the plant then dioecious or polygamodioecious); perianth and androecium perigynous; hypanthium usually cup-shaped or cylindric or conic to urceolate; sepals (3–)5, distinct or rarely connate proximally, apex often hooded or awned (awn often subapical); petals absent; stamens absent or 1–5, in 1 whorl arising from hypanthium rim; staminodes absent or 5 (16–19 in Achyronychia); ovary 1-locular; styles 1–3, distinct or sometimes connate proximally; stigmas 2 or 3. |
Fruits | utricles, indehiscent or sometimes opening by 3 or 8–10 valves; carpophore absent. |
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Seeds | 1, white to tan or brown to black, ovoid to reniform, not or slightly laterally compressed; embryo peripheral or central, curved or straight. |
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Utricles | ovoid, 1.3–1.5 mm, smooth, glabrous. |
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x | = 7, 8, 9. |
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2n | = 32. |
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Paronychia pulvinata |
Caryophyllaceae subfam. paronychioideae |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |
Habitat | Rocky slopes and summit screes in alpine regions | |
Elevation | 3300-4200 m (10800-13800 ft) | |
Distribution |
CO; UT; WY
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s North America; South America (Andean region); Europe (Mediterranean region); Asia (Mediterranean region, e to India); Africa (Mediterranean region) |
Discussion | Genera 17, species ca. 200 (6 genera, 32 species in the flora). Paronychioideae is characterized by the presence of stipules, petaloid staminodes, and usually indehiscent utricles. It is of similar size to Polycarpoideae; about two-thirds of the species are found in Paronychia and Herniaria. Paronychioideae is sometimes segregated from Caryophyllaceae as Illecebraceae, due to emphasis on the utricle; molecular data does not support recognition of Illecebraceae (M. Nepokroeff et al. 2002; R. D. Smissen et al. 2002). While there are some features shared with Polycarpoideae (stipules, solanad type of embryogeny), floral reduction is more pronounced in this group. Tentatively, Corrigioleae (Telephium and Corrigiola) is included here. M. G. Gilbert (1987) proposed transferring this tribe to Molluginaceae, noting that the morphological anomalies within Caryophyllaceae, including alternate leaves, exhibited in these plants were reduced under such an alignment. M. Nepokroeff et al. (2002) retained the tribe within Caryophyllaceae, placed as a sister group to the rest of the family. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 40. | FNA vol. 5, p. 29. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia | Caryophyllaceae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. pulvinata var. longiaristata | |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 58. (1864) | Meisner: Pl. Vasc. Gen. 1: 132 |
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