General: Caespitose, perennial herb from branched stem-bases, forming densely matted flat cushions; stems numerous, the flowering stems 3-25 cm tall, minutely glandular-hairy to smooth, with a few leaves.
Leaves: Basal leaves crowded, partly overlapping, persistent for several years, oblong or spoon-shaped, 0.5-2 cm long, 1-7 mm wide, leathery, fringed, the tips 3-toothed, the teeth spine-tipped; stem leaves alternate, similar, becoming entire above.
Flowers: Inflorescence of few- to several-flowered, terminal, somewhat flat-topped clusters; petals white or pale yellow, usually orange-spotted in upper part, elliptic-oblong, 4-7 mm long; calyces saucer-shaped, joined to ovary for part of length, the calyx lobes egg-shaped to lanceolate, 1.5-3 mm long, glandular-fringed; stamens 10.
Dry meadows, gravelly slopes, talus slopes, cliffs and ridges from the montane to alpine zones; common in BC in and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains and N of 52degreeN; N to AK, YT and NT, E to Labr. and PQ and S to MI; Greenland.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
