Claytonia rubra

Claytonia rubra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Order:Caryophyllales
Family:Montiaceae
Genus:Claytonia
Species: C. rubra
Binomial name
Claytonia rubra
(Howell) Tidestr.

Claytonia rubra is a species of wildflower in the Montiaceae family known by the common names redstem springbeauty and erubescent miner's lettuce. It is native to western North America from southwestern Canada to the Transverse Range of California, U. S. A. (and east to the Black Hills of South Dakota, U. S. A., where it can be found in coniferous forests and shrublands. This is an annual herb with stems up to about 15 centimeters long. Some individuals may overwinter as biennials. The basal leaves have small rounded to diamond-shaped blades on long, tapering petioles. There are also leaves on the stem which may be rounded or squared and sometimes fuse together to create a bowl around the stem. The herbage is red or orange-pink in color when new and gradually turns green. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of up to 30 tiny flowers, each with petals less than 4 millimeters long and white to pink-tinted in color. Together with Claytonia perfoliata and Claytonia parviflora, Claytonia rubra comprises what is almost certainly a polyploid pillar complex based on three diploid species, each occupying specific ecological niches[1]

There are two subspecies of Claytonia rubra: Claytonia rubra subsp. depressa and Claytonia rubra subsp. rubra[2]

References

  1. McIntyre, P. J. 2012. Polyploidy associated with altered and broader ecological niches in the Claytonia perfoliata (Portulacaceae) species complex. American Journal of Botany 99(4): 655-62
  2. Miller, J. M. and K. L. Chambers. 2006. Systematics of Claytonia (Portulacaceae). Systematic Botany Monographs 78: 1-236. ISBN 0-912861-78-9,


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