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Carolina spring-beauty

Alaska spring-beauty, creeping spring beauty

Habit Plants perennial, with globose tubers 10–20 mm diam.; periderm 1–5 mm. Plants perennial, with minute, tuberous body, producing rhizomes and stolons; rhizomes 0.5–3 mm diam.; periderm absent.
Stems

6–25 cm.

1–20 cm.

Leaves

basal leaves 6–21, petiolate, blade elliptic or spatulate, 3–5 × 1–3 cm;

cauline leaves abruptly petiolate, blade lanceolate to spatulate or ovate, 4–8 × 0.5–2.5 cm.

basal leaves 1–15 cm, blade elliptic to spatulate, 1–8 × 1–2 cm;

cauline leaves sessile, blade lanceolate to ovate, 2 times or less longer than broad, 1–2 cm.

Inflorescences

1-bracteate (rarely with 2 bracts).

ebracteate.

Flowers

8–12 mm diam.;

sepals 3–5 mm;

petals white, pink, or candy-striped, 6–10 mm;

ovules 6.

15–20 mm diam.;

sepals 6–8 mm;

petals pink to magenta with yellow blotch at base, 10–16 mm;

ovules 6.

Seeds

2–4 mm, shiny and smooth;

elaiosome 1–2 mm.

(1–)6, 2–4 mm, shiny and smooth;

elaiosome prominent, 2–3 mm.

2n

= 16, 24, 25, 26, 27, 36, 38.

= 10, 12, 16, 24.

Claytonia caroliniana

Claytonia sarmentosa

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Wetlands and riparian hardwood forests Moist tundra and meadows
Elevation 0-1400 m (0-4600 ft) 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; GA; IA; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NY; PA; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; YT; Russia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Claytonia sarmentosa reproduces almost entirely from stolons and rhizomes.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 4, p. 467. FNA vol. 4, p. 474.
Parent taxa Portulacaceae > Claytonia Portulacaceae > Claytonia
Sibling taxa
C. acutifolia, C. arctica, C. arenicola, C. cordifolia, C. exigua, C. gypsophiloides, C. lanceolata, C. megarhiza, C. multiscapa, C. nevadensis, C. ogilviensis, C. palustris, C. parviflora, C. perfoliata, C. rosea, C. rubra, C. sarmentosa, C. saxosa, C. scammaniana, C. sibirica, C. tuberosa, C. umbellata, C. virginica, C. washingtoniana
C. acutifolia, C. arctica, C. arenicola, C. caroliniana, C. cordifolia, C. exigua, C. gypsophiloides, C. lanceolata, C. megarhiza, C. multiscapa, C. nevadensis, C. ogilviensis, C. palustris, C. parviflora, C. perfoliata, C. rosea, C. rubra, C. saxosa, C. scammaniana, C. sibirica, C. tuberosa, C. umbellata, C. virginica, C. washingtoniana
Synonyms C. caroliniana var. lewisii, C. caroliniana var. spatulifolia Montia sarmentosa
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 160. (1803) C. A. Meyer: Nouv. Mém. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 1: 137. (1829)
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