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

Montia parvifolia var. parvifolia
small-leaved montia
Montiaceae (Purslane family)
(Previously in Portulacaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #20482)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Montia parvifolia var. parvifolia
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from slender rhizomes and stolons, sometimes forming large patches; stems ascending to erect, solitary to several, simple from the nodes of the rhizomes, 10-25 cm tall; vegetative stoloniferous branches up to 40 cm long.
Leaves:
Basal leaves many, egg-shaped, spoon-shaped or rounded, the blades 1.5-3 cm long, 2-20 mm wide, the stalks as long or longer than the blades; stem leaves several, lanceolate to egg-shaped or rounded, alternate, reduced, narrower than the basal leaves.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of bracteate, terminal racemes with 3-8 flowers on stalks 5-12 mm long; petals 5, pinkish or white with pink veins, 7-15 mm long; sepals 2, unequal, 2-3 mm long; stamens 5.
Fruits:
Capsules, egg-shaped, 3-valved; seeds 2, black, shiny, 1-1.5 mm long.
Notes:
Two intergrading taxa occur in BC:

1. Basal leaf blades narrowly egg-shaped to spoon-shaped, usually less than 5 mm wide; the common phase in BC........................ var. parvifolia.

1. Basal leaf blades rounded, usually more than 5 mm wide; infrequent along the coast......................var. Flagellaris (Bong.) C. L. Hitchc.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist mossy rock outcrops, streambanks and shorelines in the lowland and montane zones; frequent in S BC; N to SE AK and SW YT, E to MB and S to MT, ID, UT and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Montia parvifolia var. parvifolia

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) 300 1177 1879
Slope Gradient (%) 15 45 70
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
28 205 311
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
0 0 1
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
A
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
8
Modal BEC Zone Class
ICH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: CWH(2), ESSF(2), ICH(4)

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

Additional Photo Sources

General References