smooth douglasia (cliff dwarf-primrose)
Primulaceae
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Plants rhizomatous and mat-forming (sometimes loosely cespitose), 2-7 cm tall, stems prostrate to ascending.
Leaves:
Leaves mostly basal, in multiple rosettes, oblanceolate to oblong or spatulate, apices obtuse to slightly acute, few-toothed to entire, surfaces glabrous, often ciliate with simple hairs, 5-20 mm.
Flowers:
Inflorescences umbellate, of 2-10 flowers, bracteate; involucral bracts 4-8, lanceolate to ovate, 3-8 mm. Flowers short-stalked; corollas deep pink (fading to lavender), tube 6-7 mm, lobes 3-5 mm; calyces stellate-hairy, 6-7 mm, lobes lanceolate; pedicels 2-15 mm long, finely stellate-hairy. Flowering Jun-Aug.
Fruits:
Capsules globose, 5-valvate.
Stems:
Scapes erect, minutely hairy with stellate or branched hairs, elongating little in fruit.
Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Purple
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source: The USDA
Habitat and Range
Moist talus slopes, ridges, cliffs, outcrops, and rocky ledges in the lowland, montane, subalpine, and alpine zones. Rare in coastal and sw BC (Vancouver I, Haida Gwaii, Manning P.P.); south to OR.Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014.
Author: Jamie Fenneman
Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Douglasia laevigata var. ciliolata Constance
Taxonomic Keys
Key to Douglasia
1a. Plants taprooted biennials, not cespitose or mat-forming; leaves in a single basal rosette…………………...…...…[D. alaskana] 1b. Plants perennials, densely to loosely cespitose from a branching caudex or rhizomatous and mat-forming; leaves in multiple rosettes or densely overlapping along the branching stems…...……………………….………………..…………...……………2 2a. Plants densely cespitose; stems densely covered in tightly overlapping, marcescent, reddish-brown leaves; plants of nw BC… ………………...............................................................................................D. gormanii 2b. Plants rhizomatous and mat-forming or loosely cespitose; leaves in multiple basal rosettes; plants of coastal BC or potentially occurring in sc or se BC..….………………………………………………...…………………………3 3a. Inflorescences of 1-2 flowers; plants loosely cespitose; not yet known from BC, but may potentially occur in extreme se interior.……………………………………………………………….[D. montana] 3b. Inflorescences of 2-10 flowers; plants usually mat-forming (sometimes loosely cespitose); plants of coastal BC or potentially occurring in sc interior……………………………………………………………………………4 4a. Leaves linear to lanceolate, densely hairy with branched and stellate hairs on both surfaces, not ciliate; plants not yet recorded from BC, but may occur in high elevation areas of the sc interior…………………....……….....[D. nivalis] 4b. Leaves oblanceolate or oblong to spatulate, glabrous on both surfaces and usually with ciliate margins; plants of coastal BC………………………………………………………………........D. laevigata
Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014 |
Taxonomic Notes
This species is often associated with calcareous substrates. Although most populations occur at moderate to high elevations, D. laevigata is also known from at or near sea level on Haida Gwaii and Read Island (in Desolation Sound); the latter population is not supported by a specimen due to the inaccessible nature of the population, which was growing on a vertical cliff. All populations in B.C. have traditionally been attributed to var. ciliolata but, as the presence of cilia along the leaf margins is highly variable throughout the species’ range (and even the supposedly non-ciliate var. laevigata shows some small cilia along the leaf margins), recent authors have been hesitant to recognize any infraspecific taxa in this species.
Two somewhat similar species of Douglasia have been reported for B.C. but, as neither is supported by a specimen or other conclusive evidence, they are not considered part of the provincial flora; both species occur within close proximity to the border, however, and could potentially be encountered in the province. Fortunately, both species occur in discrete areas and do not overlap with any other Douglasia species, rendering identification straightforward if encountered. Douglasia montana A.Gray (ROCKY MOUNTAIN DOUGLASIA) approaches the B.C. border in northwestern Montana and extreme southwestern Alberta (Waterton Lakes National Park) and should be sought in extreme se B.C. (e.g., Akimina-Kishenina Provincial Park, Flathead region). It is a loosely cespitose species of rocky slopes, scree, and stony tundra at middle to high elevations, and is best distinguished by its few-flowered inflorescences (1-2 flowers per inflorescence). Douglasia nivalis Lindl. (WENATCHEE DOUGLASIA) is primarily a species of the Wenatchee Mountains of Washington, although it also occurs in northeastern Washington near the B.C. border (Ferry County) and could potentially occur in adjacent areas of the province. It is a mat-forming species of dry rocky slopes, talus, and ridgetops at middle to high elevations, and can be easily distinguished from D. laevigata by its linear to lanceolate leaves that are densely covered in branched and stellate hairs. Source: The Vascular Flora of British Columbia, draft 2014 Author: Jamie Fenneman |