Paronychia pulvinata |
Paronychia drummondii |
|
---|---|---|
Rocky Mountain nailwort |
Drummond's nailwort |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, densely cespitose, cushion-forming; caudex much-branched, woody. | Plants annual or biennial; taproot filiform to slender. |
Stems | prostrate, much-branched, 5–10 cm, puberulent. |
sprawling t2o erect, nearly simple to much-branched especially distally, 7–35 cm, retrorsely pubescent on 1 side or throughout. |
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. |
stipules lanceolate to ovate, 5–10 mm, apex acuminate, entire; blade linear-oblong to oblanceolate, 5–30 × 1–7 mm, leathery, apex acute to cuspidate, moderately antrorsely pubescent. |
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. |
5-merous, ± short-campanulate, with prominently enlarged hypanthium and calyx flaring distally, (1.5–)2–2.3 mm, pubescent proximally with short, hooked hairs; sepals greenish to brownish or red-brown, white distally, veins absent, oblong to obovate, 1–1.5 mm, leathery to rigid, margins white, 0.2–0.3 mm wide, papery, apex terminating in divergent awn, hood broadly rounded, awn white, stout-conic, 0.5–0.6 mm, glabrous; staminodes filiform, ± 0.3 mm; style 1, cleft in distal 1/5, 0.3–0.6 mm. |
Utricles | ovoid, 1.3–1.5 mm, smooth, glabrous. |
ellipsoid to subglobose, 0.5–0.8 mm, minutely papillate distally. |
Cymes | terminal, 25+-flowered, much-branched but congested, clusters 5–20 mm wide. |
|
2n | = 32. |
|
Paronychia pulvinata |
Paronychia drummondii |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering spring–fall. |
Habitat | Rocky slopes and summit screes in alpine regions | Sandy woodlands, clearings, roadsides |
Elevation | 3300-4200 m (10800-13800 ft) | 0-100 m (0-300 ft) |
Distribution |
CO; UT; WY
|
LA; OK; TX
|
Discussion | Chaudhri described two subspecies of Paronychia drummondii based on differences in leaf pubescence, flower size, and style length. We follow B. L. Turner (1983b), who noted that many specimens demonstrate intermediate characteristics, suggesting that taxonomic recognition not be given to the extremes. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 40. | FNA vol. 5, p. 36. |
Parent taxa | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia | Caryophyllaceae > subfam. Paronychioideae > Paronychia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. pulvinata var. longiaristata | P. drummondii subsp. parviflora |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 15: 58. (1864) | Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 170. (1838) |
Web links |