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

Claytonia megarhiza (A. Gray) Parry ex S. Watson var. megarhiza
alpine springbeauty
Montiaceae (Purslane family)
(Previously in Portulacaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ian Gardiner  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #16018)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza
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:
Perennial herb with a massive, more or less woody underground stock bearing thick-branched roots; stems erect, simple, single to several, 1-6 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves numerous, forming rosettes, elliptic to egg-shaped, the blades 1-5 cm long, narrowing to a membranous-margined stalk 1-3 times as long as the blade; stem leaves paired, opposite, free, reduced, linear-oblanceolate, 1-3 cm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of round-topped racemes with 2-9 flowers on stalks 5-40 mm long, bracts present on all flowers; petals white to pink or dark rose, 5-9 mm long, joined at the base; sepals 2, 3-8 mm long, turning reddish with age.
Fruits:
Capsules, 3-valved, egg-shaped, 4-5 mm long; seeds 1-6, round, black, shining, 2-3 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry gravelly slopes, rock outcrops and talus slopes in the alpine zone; rare in SE BC, known only from Goat Mountain; E to S AB and S to CO, UT, NM and NV; disjunct in NT.

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