General: Perennial, slightly woody herb from a rhizome; stems stout, erect or nearly so, often branched, 10-30 cm tall.
Leaves: Generally all stem leaves, usually 3-5 per whorl, leathery, evergreen, oblanceolate, 2-7 cm long, 0.5-2.5 cm wide, sharply toothed, tips abruptly pointed, bases tapered; stalks 3-8 mm long.
Flowers: Inflorescence of 3 to 10 nodding flowers in terminal umbel-like cluster, flower stem minutely- and glandular-hairy; flower stalks 4-10 cm long, glandular-hairy; bracts narrowly egg-shaped, deciduous; petals 5, distinct, 4-7 mm long, pinkish to somewhat rose, waxy; sepals 5, distinct, 1-2 mm long, margins jagged-toothed; ovaries superior; styles in depressed centre of ovary; stamens 10, anthers with terminal pores on tubes, the filament bases widened and swollen, only hairy on margins.
Fruits: Capsules, nearly globe-shaped, 5-7 mm wide.
Mesic to dry forests in the montane zone; common in S BC, infrequent northward; N to SE AK, E to C AB and SK, scattered to James Bay, ON, and S to CA, NM, CO.
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)
A shade-tolerant/intolerant, sub montane to montane, circumpolar evergreen shrub (transcontinental in North America). Occurs on very dry to moderately dry, nitrogen-poor soils (Mor humus forms) within montane boreal, temperate, and cool mesothermal climates. Its occurrence decreases with increasing elevation and precipitation, and increases with increasing continentality. Sporadic to scattered in coniferous forests on water-shedding sites with coarse-skeletal soils. Typically associated with Hylocomium splendens. An oxylophytic species characteristic of moisture-deficient sites.
