Micranthes nelsoniana D. Don
dotted saxifrage
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
dotted saxifrage
Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from branched stem-bases with rhizomes; flowering stems 10-30 cm tall, mostly smooth below, long-hairy above.
Leaves:
All basal, kidney-shaped, 1.0-7.7 cm wide, 1/2 to 4/5 as long, coarsely 7- to 21-toothed, the teeth up to 1 cm long, the leaves smooth, sparsely or stiff-hairy near the base, sometimes fringed, the stalks long, 1- to 5-times blade length.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a many-flowered, terminal, congested or open panicle with appressed or ascending hairs, the lowest branch often from leaf-like bracts; petals white to pink, 2.5-4 mm long, oblong, the tips rounded to notched, slightly clawed, deciduous; calyces lobed nearly to base, slightly joined to the base of the ovary, free hypanthium absent, the lobes egg-shaped to narrowly egg-shaped, 1-2 mm long, green to purplish, fringed, bent back; stamens 10.
Fruits:
Capsules; 3-12 mm long, purplish, tips spreading to bent; seeds brown, about 0.8 mm long, ridged lengthwise with pimples.
Notes:
Four intergrading subspecies occur in BC.
1. Largest leaves mostly with 9 to12 teeth; capsules 6-12 mm long; plants of the Queen Charlotte Islands, adjacent mainland and Coast Mountains of NW BC.................... ssp. carlottae (Calder & Savile) Hult.
1. Largest leaves mostly with 12 to 18 teeth; capsules 3-8 mm long; plants of mainland BC.
2. Panicles open, the hairs appressed; plants slender; plants of SW BC..................... ssp. cascadensis (Calder & Savile) Hult.
2. Panicles often congested, the hairs ascending; plants robust; plants of N BC and the Rocky Mountains.
3. Largest leaves 2.3-7.7 cm wide, slightly fringed and stiff-hairy near the leaf stalks; capsule cleft 25-60%; plants of NW BC ...........................ssp. pacifica (Hult.) Hult.
3. Largest leaves 1.0-3.8 cm wide, smooth or sparsely hairy; capsule cleft 40-75%; plants of N BC north of 56degreeN........................... ssp. porsildiana (Calder & Savile) Hult.
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Micranthes nelsoniana
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) |
1481 | 5 | 2200 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
19 | 0 | 110 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
353 | 0 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
5 | 1 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
116 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BAFA | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
At(2), BAFA(45), cma(1), CWH(6), ESSF(31), ICH(3), IDF(2), MH(14), MS(9), SWB(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Moist rock outcrops, scree, meadows and streambanks from the montane to alpine zones; common throughout BC; ssp. carlottae - N to SE AK; ssp. cascadensis - S to OR; ssp. pacifica - amphiberingian, N to AK, YT and NT; NE Asia; ssp. porsildiana - amphiberingian, N to AK, YT and NT and E to AB; NE Asia.Status Information
| Scientific Name | Origin Status | Provincial Status | BC List (Red Blue List) | COSEWIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micranthes nelsoniana var. carlottae | Native | S3S4 | Yellow | Not Listed |
| Micranthes nelsoniana var. cascadensis | Native | S5 | Yellow | Not Listed |
| Micranthes nelsoniana var. pacifica | Native | S2? | Unknown | Not Listed |
| Micranthes nelsoniana var. porsildiana | Native | S5 | Yellow | Not Listed |
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.