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Alaska spring-beauty, creeping spring beauty

broad leaf springbeauty, cordate-leaf spring beauty, heart-leaf spring-beauty

Habit Plants perennial, with minute, tuberous body, producing rhizomes and stolons; rhizomes 0.5–3 mm diam.; periderm absent. Plants perennial, rhizomatous; rhizomes 4–8 mm diam.; periderm absent.
Stems

1–20 cm.

5–30 cm.

Leaves

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.

basal leaves petiolate, blade ovate to deltate or cordate, 2–7 × 1–5 cm;

cauline leaves sessile, blade ovate, 1–4 cm.

Inflorescences

ebracteate.

ebracteate.

Flowers

15–20 mm diam.;

sepals 6–8 mm;

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

ovules 6.

10–15 mm diam.;

sepals 4–8 mm;

petals white, 8–12 mm;

ovules 6.

Seeds

(1–)6, 2–4 mm, shiny and smooth;

elaiosome prominent, 2–3 mm.

(1–)6, 1–2 mm diam., shiny and smooth;

elaiosome 1 mm or less.

2n

= 10, 12, 16, 24.

= 10, 20.

Claytonia sarmentosa

Claytonia cordifolia

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Moist tundra and meadows Meadows, seeps
Elevation 0-2000 m (0-6600 ft) 500-2000 m (1600-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; BC; YT; Russia
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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. 474. FNA vol. 4.
Parent taxa Portulacaceae > Claytonia Portulacaceae > Claytonia
Sibling taxa
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
C. acutifolia, C. arctica, C. arenicola, C. caroliniana, 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
Synonyms Montia sarmentosa C. sibirica var. cordifolia, Montia cordifolia
Name authority C. A. Meyer: Nouv. Mém. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 1: 137. (1829) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 365. (1882)
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