E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Claytonia exigua Torr. & A. Gray
pale springbeauty (Pallid claytonia ; serpentine springbeauty)
Montiaceae (Purslane family)
(Previously in Portulacaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Liz Watkinson  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #23980)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Claytonia exigua
Click here to view our interactive map and legend
Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.



General:
Annual herb from a slender taproot; stems erect, simple, bluish-green, 1-15 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves numerous, linear, 2-12 cm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, blue-green; stem leaves paired, opposite, linear to linear-lanceolate, 0.5-4 cm long, free or fused on one side less than half their length, bluish-green.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of stalked to unstalked racemes 5-20 mm long with 2-7 flowers on recurved stalks, the stalks 3-10 mm long, with one bract subtending the lowest flower; petals 5, white or pale pink, 2.5-4.5 mm long; sepals 2, 1-2 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules, 2-3 mm long; seeds 3, elliptic, dull black, 1-1.5 mm long, with small rounded swellings (at 20x magnification), the appendages brownish, fleshy or shrunken.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist, open vernal sites in the lowland and montane zones; infrequent on SE Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and adjacent coast, also known from Hazelton; S to CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References