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

Montia linearis (Douglas ex Hook.) Greene
narrow-leaved montia (narrowleaf minerslettuce)
Montiaceae (Purslane family)
(Previously in Portulacaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #6603)

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Distribution of Montia linearis
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Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from a fibrous root; stems ascending to erect, usually solitary but sometimes several, branched or unbranched, 5-20 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves several, linear, alternate, 1-5 cm long, 1-3 mm wide.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of loose terminal or axillary racemes 2-5 cm long with 5-12 flowers on slightly recurved stalks 5-20 mm long; petals 5, white, 4-6.5 mm long; sepals 2, 3-4 mm long but up to 6 mm long in fruit; stamens 3.
Fruits:
Capsules, 3-valved; seeds black, shiny, lens-shaped, 1.4-2.5 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist to dry fields, grasslands and rocky slopes in the lowland, steppe and lower montane zones; frequent in S BC, rare northward to 55degreeN; E to SW SK and S to MT, UT and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Montia linearis

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) 137 782 1950
Slope Gradient (%) 0 27 75
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		0 305 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		1 3 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 31
Modal BEC Zone Class
 PP
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(5), CDF(1), ESSF(1), ICH(1), IDF(6), PP(16)

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.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Claytonia linearis Douglas ex Hook.
Montiastrum lineare (Douglas ex Hook.) Rydb.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

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

Additional Photo Sources

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
 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: 2024-05-03 1:09:52 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.
© E-Flora BC: An initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography UBC, and the UBC Herbarium.