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

Lewisia rediviva Pursh
bitterroot (bitter root)
Montiaceae (Purslane family)
(Previously in Portulacaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ian Gardiner  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #24193)

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Distribution of Lewisia rediviva
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Lewisia rediviva var. rediviva

Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a thick branched taproot and a short, simple or branched stem-base; stems spreading to erect, few, simple, 1-3 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves numerous, 1.5-5 cm long, linear to club-shaped, round in cross section, with a wide, transparent base, beginning to wither and dry by flowering time; stem leaves lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of solitary flowers on stalks 0.5-1.5 cm long; floral bracts 5-6, whorled, linear, 0.5-1 cm long, chaffy; petals 12-18, white to deep pink, narrowly oblong, 1.8-3.5 cm long; sepals (4) 5-9, unequal, 10-25 mm long, stamens 30-50.
Fruits:
Capsules; seeds 6-20, rounded, dark brown, shiny, 2 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry grasslands, shrublands and open forests in the steppe and lower montane zones; locally frequent in SC BC, rare in SE BC; S to MT, CO, AZ and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Lewisia rediviva

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

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 332 671 1822
Slope Gradient (%) 0 17 80
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		5 193 330
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		0 2 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 101
Modal BEC Zone Class
 BG
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(45), ESSF(1), IDF(11), MS(2), PP(40)

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

Flora North America treatment for Portulacaceae (Previous Family)
 Flora North America treatment for Lewisia rediviva
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-08 2:14:32 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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