Leptarrhena pyrolifolia (D. Don) R. Br. ex Ser.
leatherleaf saxifrage (fireleaf leptarrhena)
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
leatherleaf saxifrage (fireleaf leptarrhena)
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from spreading, horizontal or ascending rhizomes; stems erect, 10-40 cm tall, glandular-hairy above.
Leaves:
Basal leaves leathery, narrowly egg-shaped to elliptic, 3-15 cm long, round-toothed, narrowed at base to a short, broad stalk less than 1/2 length of blade, deep green and shining above, pale green or brownish below, smooth; stem leaves 1 to 3, widely separated, smaller, unstalked, mostly oblong-oblanceolate; stipules membranous, fused to the leaf stalks.
Flowers:
Inflorescence terminal, of several, many-flowered clusters, compact at first, expanding in fruit; petals white or pinkish, 5, clawed, blades spoon-shaped, up to twice length of sepals; calyces deeply saucer-shaped, 2-3 mm wide, joined to ovary only at the base, the free hypanthium lacking; calyx lobes 5, erect, about 1 mm long; stamens 10.
Fruits:
Follicles, 2, 5-7 mm long, reddish or purplish; seeds light brown, 2-3.5 mm, tailed at both ends.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Leptarrhena pyrolifolia
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)
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)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1528 | 7 | 2510 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
12 | 0 | 98 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
331 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 0 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
771 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ESSF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
AT(11), BAFA(12), BWBS(6), CMA(5), CWH(20), ESSF(545), ICH(27), IDF(3), IMA(3), MH(71), MS(10), PP(1), SBS(13) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist to wet streambanks and meadows in the montane to alpine zones; frequent throughout BC, except absent in the NE; N to AK, YT and NT, E to AB and S to MT, ID and OR.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Lepuropetalon amplexifolium (Sternb.) Ser.
Saxifraga amplexifolia Sternb.
Saxifraga calycina subsp. unalaschcensis (Sternb.) HultTn
Saxifraga davurica var. unalaschcensis (Sternb.) Engl.
Saxifraga pyrolifolia D. Don
Saxifraga unalaschcensis Sternb.