Lithospermum ruderale Douglas ex Lehm.
lemonweed (Columbia gromwell; western stoneseed)
Boraginaceae (Borage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
lemonweed (Columbia gromwell; western stoneseed)
Boraginaceae (Borage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a stout, woody taproot and branching stem-base; spreading stiff-hairy throughout but especially on the stem; stems 1 to several, clustered, more or less unbranched, 20-60 cm tall.
Leaves:
Numerous, all along the stem, lowermost reduced, others unstalked, lanceolate to linear, 3-10 cm long, 2-10 mm wide, entire, alternate.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of small clusters with leafy bracts, in the axils of upper leaves; flower stalks ascending in fruit; corollas pale yellow, often tinged with green, 8-13 mm long; petals fused at base into a 4-6-mm long tube that spreads (7-13 mm wide) to 5 entire lobes, the throat glandular within but lacking bulges.
Fruits:
Nutlets often 1-2, sometimes 4, clustered together, grey, smooth, shining, 3.5-6(8) mm long.
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
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Lithospermum ruderale
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) |
841 | 170 | 1958 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
26 | 0 | 360 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
193 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 0 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
C | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1288 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(248), BWBS(2), ESSF(24), ICH(5), IDF(613), MS(39), PP(299), SBPS(1), SBS(3) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry grasslands and shrublands in the steppe zone; common in S BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; E to SW SK and S to CO and N CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Lithospermum pilosum Nutt.