Placentæ axial.
Base of the calyx well developed, at maturity longer than
the sepals.
Stamens 5, plant with short bulblet bearing rootstock. =Hemieva.=
Stamens 10.
Plants without caudices; only producing annual flowering
stems. =Saxifraga.=
Plants with perennial leafy caudices, often with offsets.
=Muscaria.=
Base of the calyx only slightly developed, unchanged at maturity.
Leaves alternate, sometimes all basal.
Plants stemless.
Corolla regular, petals about equal in shape and length.
=Micranthes.=
Corolla irregular petals of different shape and length.
=Spatularia.=
Plants with stems.
Carpels distinct; leaf-blades toothed. =Leptarrhena.=
Carpels partially united; leaf-blades entire. =Leptasea.=
Leaves opposite except sometimes on the flower-stalks.
=Antiphylla.=
[Sidenote: =Chrysosplenium tetrandrum= Th. Fries. _Golden Saxifrage._]
Perennial with a slender creeping rootstock; stems 1½—6 inches high,
branched above. Leaves alternate, the lower ones on petioles 1—2 inches
long; blades thick, reniform, ½ an inch or less wide, crenate with 3—5
broad teeth, shining above, paler beneath, upper ones larger and more
or less wedge-shaped. Flowers in small clusters in the axils of the
upper leaves; sepals 4; stamens 4 opposite the sepals.
In shaded damp ground in the wooded areas through the Rockies at an
elevation of 5000 to 6000 feet, where it often forms dense green
carpets, the inconspicuous little flowers coming into blossom in June.
[Sidenote: =Lithophragma parviflora= (Hook.) Nutt. _Lithophragma._]
Stems 4—12 inches high, slightly glandular-hairy, from a slender
creeping rootstock with rosy bulblets. Leaves palmately divided to the
base into 3—5 divisions, ½—1 inch long, twice ternately cleft into
oblong or linear divisions; lower ones on petioles 1—2 inches long;
stem leaves 1 or 2 similar, sessile. Flowers 3—8 in a slender raceme,
base of the calyx and sepals ⅛ of an inch long; petals pure white,
deeply 3—5 cut into narrowly oblong divisions.
On grassy slopes and gravelly places throughout the Rockies; flowering
in June.
[Sidenote: =Tellima grandiflora= (Pursh.) Dougl. _Tellima._]
Flowering branches 1—2 feet high, with long rough hairs, glandular
above. Leaves reniform or cordate, sparingly rough-hairy, round
lobed, and toothed with broadly ovate teeth; 1½—4 inches broad on
hairy petioles 4—8 inches long; stem leaves short-petioled with
well developed stipules. Flowers numerous in an elongated raceme;
sepals ovate ¼ of an inch long; petals white, purplish or pink with a
pinnately cut blade; claws broadly wedge-shaped, ⅛ of an inch long,
erect, blade spreading or reflexed with a rounded ovate body and
tapering thread-like lobes.
Moist woods and crevices in the rocks, abundant in the Selkirks;
flowering in June.
[Sidenote: =Mitella nuda= L. _Naked Bishop’s-Cap._]
Perennial, from a slender branched rootstock, producing long runners
in late summer; flowering branches scape-like, naked, or rarely with
a small leaf, 2—8 inches high, sparingly hairy. Leaves reniform ¾—2
inches in diameter, rounded, crenate or lobed, on petioles 1—3 inches
long. Flowers few, in a loose raceme, saucer-shaped; calyx about ¼ of
an inch broad, greenish-yellow; petals spreading about twice as long
as the sepals, greenish-yellow, pinnately divided into thread-like
divisions, resembling snow crystals in form.
Common in the cool woods and shaded mossy bogs throughout the Rockies;
flowering in June.
[Illustration: Mitella nuda L. (⅔ Nat.) Naked Bishop’s-Cap.]
[Illustration: Pectiantia pentandra (Hook.) Rydb. (¼ Nat.) Mitrewort.]
[Sidenote: =Pectiantia pentandra= (Hook.) Rydb. _Mitrewort._]
Flowering branches scape-like, 4—12 inches high, naked. Leaves broadly
crenate with 9—11 more or less distinct round lobes, thin, 1—2½ inches
broad on petioles, 2—4 inches long. Flowers ⅛ of an inch broad in a
slender loose raceme, green or often purplish inside; sepals broadly
triangular-ovate, obtuse, and recurved; petals yellowish, deeply cut
into slender thread-like divisions, twice as long as the calyx; stamens
5, opposite the petals.
Throughout the region in cool woods and shaded springy spots; flowering
in early June at the higher altitudes.
[Sidenote: =Pectiantia Breweri= (A. Gray.) Rydb. _Mitrewort._]
Flowering branches 4—8 inches high, leafless. Leaves thin, broadly
reniform with many shallow rounded lobes; petioles 2—4 inches long.
Flowers in a loose raceme, green, occasionally in pairs; calyx ⅛ of
an inch wide; sepals obtuse and reflexed; petals deeply cut into
thread-like divisions about twice as long as the sepals; stamens 5,
opposite the sepals.
In damp woods throughout the region, growing with the previous species;
flowering in early June.
[Sidenote: =Heuchera glabra= Willd. _Smooth Alum-root._]
Flowering stems slender, 4—20 inches high, smooth, 1—3-leaved. Basal
leaves on petioles, 2—8 inches long, cordate, deeply 5—7-lobed, thin,
shining, 1—4 inches broad and as long or slightly longer, lobes
triangular-ovate, acute, doubly and sharply serrate. Flowers in a
loose panicle 2—6 inches long; calyx with the turbinate base about ⅛
of an inch long, sparingly fringed with hairs; petals white, broadly
spatulate, acute, about twice as long as the sepals; stamens much
exserted, with scarlet and orange anthers.
On damp shaded rocks, especially abundant in the Selkirks in the
vicinity of Glacier.
[Sidenote: =Heuchera ovalifolia= Nutt. _Round-leaved Alum-root._]
Flowering branches naked, densely glandular-hairy, 1—2 feet high.
Leaves round-oval, ½—1½ inches broad, ¾—2 inches long, rounded,
slightly heart-shaped at the base, round-lobed and crenate with
bristle-tipped teeth. Flowers in a short dense raceme less than 4
inches long, the deeply campanulate, yellowish, densely hairy base of
the calyx, with the broadly oblong sepals ¼ of an inch long, petals
usually wanting.
On dry rocky banks and hillsides throughout the region, flowering in
midsummer.
[Sidenote: =Tiarella unifoliata= Hook. _Foam-Flower._]
Flowering branches 6—15 inches high, 1—4-leaved. Leaves broadly
cordate, coarsely 3—5-lobed with broadly ovate-acute lobes, doubly
crenate with mucronate teeth; stem leaves short-petioled, basal, on
petioles 2—6 inches long. Flowers in a narrow panicle; sepals whitish
ovate-oblong, ¹/₁₆ of an inch long, the linear-subulate, white petals
and stamens fully three times as long; carpels oblong acute, nearly
half an inch long in fruit.
Abundant in damp rich woods throughout the region oftentimes carpeting
the ground; flowering in June.
[Sidenote: =Hemieva ranunculifolia= (Hook.) Raf. _Hemieva._]
Light yellowish-green; stems 8—10 inches high from a rosy-bulbous
rootstock. Leaves ternately divided to the base, the middle division
broadly wedge-shaped, ½—1 inch long, rounded, 3-lobed, the lateral ones
oblique and 4-lobed; basal, on petioles 2—4 inches long, stem leaves
on short petioles dilated at the base, the uppermost sessile, merely
3-lobed at the apex. Flowers showy in a short dense corymb; the base of
the calyx and sepals yellowish-green about ⅛ of an inch long; petals
white or yellowish, broadly spatulate, ¼ of an inch long; stamens 5,
opposite the sepals, filaments and carpels more or less rosy in colour.
On wet rocky slopes in the Selkirks at Glacier, not common; flowering
in June.
[Illustration: Saxifraga cernua L. (⅔ Nat.) Nodding Saxifrage.]
[Illustration: Saxifraga rivularis L. (⅔ Nat.) Alpine Brook Saxifrage.]
[Sidenote: =Saxifraga rivularis= L. _Alpine Brook Saxifrage._]
Stems 1—3½ inches tall, tufted, smooth or finely glandular-hairy.
Leaves reniform in outline, ⅛—½ an inch broad, thick, mainly 3-lobed,
those of the stem sometimes entire, short petioled or sessile; basal
leaves on slender petioles an inch or more long. Flowers small, base
of the calyx and sepals ⅛ of an inch long; petals oblong, or broadly
wedge-shaped, white, slightly larger than the sepals.
An inconspicuous little plant growing on wet rocks and beside alpine
brooks at high altitudes throughout the region; flowering during
midsummer.
[Sidenote: =Saxifraga cernua= L. _Nodding Bulbous Saxifrage._]
Stems 3—8 inches tall, leafy, somewhat glandular-hairy, growing in
groups. Leaves reniform in outline ⅓—1 inch wide; the basal and lower
stem-leaves long-petioled prominently, 3—7 lobed, the lobes linear
to triangular-lanceolate; the upper stem leaves, 3—5-lobed. Flowers
represented by clusters of rosy bulblets, except a single terminal
one with the base of the calyx and sepals ¼ of an inch long, and
wedge-shaped, the clawless white petals nearly half an inch long.
A rather striking alpine plant growing on wet rocks at Lake Louise and
Moraine Lake; flowering in midsummer.
[Sidenote: =Muscaria adscendens= (L.) Small. _Muscaria._]
Somewhat glandular-hairy, 1—4 inches tall. Leaves ⅛—¼ of an inch long,
mainly wedge-shaped or spatulate, 3-toothed or those of the stem
entire. Flower-stalks sparingly branched above or throughout; sepals
ovate or oblong-ovate ¹/₁₆—⅛ of an inch long, acute or obtuse; petals
white, wedge-shaped to oblong wedge-shaped, a third longer than the
sepals, the claws slender or stout.
An alpine species with rosettes of basal leaves, not infrequent
throughout the Rockies, along streams, and on shaded rocks; flowering
in midsummer.
[Illustration: Muscaria cæspitosa (L.) Haw. (½ Nat.) Tufted Saxifrage.]
[Illustration: Micranthes rhomboidea (Greene) Small. (⅓ Nat.) Mountain
Saxifrage.]
[Sidenote: =Muscaria cæspitosa= (L.) Haw. _Tufted Saxifrage._]
Glandular-hairy, 2—6 inches tall. Leaves crowded at the base, sometimes
densely so; blades ¼—¾ of an inch long, 3-lobed at the apex, the lobes
lanceolate or linear. Flower-stalks stout, 3-few-flowered, each bearing
2—3 leaves, base of the calyx ⅛ to ³/₁₆ of an inch high, turbinate at
the base, sepals ovate to ovate-lanceolate, ¹/₁₆—⅛ of an inch long;
petals white, narrowly obovate or oblong-ovate, ¼ of an inch or more
long, rounded at the apex.
An alpine species growing on moist, shaded rocks throughout the
Rockies, frequent, often forming tufts of considerable size; flowering
in June.
[Sidenote: =Micranthes rhomboidea= (Greene) Small. _Alpine Saxifrage._]
Leaves forming a rosette, spreading or ascending ¾—2 inches long, ovoid
or rhombic-ovoid, obtuse, crenulate or dentate-serrate, nearly smooth
except the ciliate margins, mainly green, sometimes purplish beneath,
abruptly or gradually narrowed into petiole-like bases, which are
occasionally larger than the blades. Flowers in a compact terminal head
on a copiously glandular, naked scape 3—10 inches high; sepals ovate to
triangular ¹/₁₆—⅛ of an inch long barely if at all ciliate, 3-veined;
petals white, obovate or oblong-ovate, twice as long as the sepals,
notched at the apex, seed pods green or purplish, the points spreading.
A frequent alpine plant in the more or less moist, shaded situations
throughout the Rockies; flowering in July.
[Illustration: Micranthes Nelsoniana (D. Don.) Small. (½ Nat.) Nelson’s
Saxifrage.]
[Illustration: Micranthes Lyallii (Engler) Small. (⅔ Nat.) Lyall’s
Saxifrage.]
[Sidenote: =Micranthes Lyallii= (Engler) Small. _Lyall’s Saxifrage._]
Leaves erect or ascending ½—2½ inches long, fan-shaped varying to
suborbicular, typically wedge-shaped at the base, coarsely few-toothed
above with the teeth mainly directed forward, smooth or nearly so, the
petiole-like bases often longer than the blades. Flowering stems 3—24
inches tall, smooth or nearly so, sparingly branched above, commonly
purple, few-flowered; petals white with 2 yellow blotches below the
middle, broadly oblong or suborbicular, often slightly notched at
the apex, twice as long as the sepals, often tinged and streaked
with red on the outside; seed pods nearly ½ an inch high, purple or
purple-tinged, usually 3 or 4 together, with pointed beaks.
An alpine form frequent throughout the region in damp, shady, or open
places and along the borders of mountain streams; a rather striking
plant, flowering in July.
[Sidenote: =Micranthes Nelsoniana= (D. Don.) Small. _Nelson’s
Saxifrage._]
Leaves erect or ascending, 1—5 inches long, suborbicular or reniform,
¾—1¾ inches in diameter, deeply cordate at the base, usually sparingly
hairy on both sides, coarsely few-toothed with crenate, gland-tipped
teeth. Flower-stem erect, 1½—7 inches tall, glandular-villous,
especially above, terminating in a compact head usually with purple
or purplish bracts; sepals ovate or oblong-ovate ⅙—⅛ of an inch long,
ciliate; petals white, broadly oblong to ovate, twice as long as the
sepals.
A rather rare though very beautiful alpine flower found throughout the
region in moist places and along alpine brooks; flowering in June.
[Illustration: Spatularia Brunoniana (Bong.) Small. (¼ Nat.) Tall
Saxifrage.]
[Illustration: Leptasea austromontana (Wiegand) Small. (⅓ Nat.) Common
Saxifrage.]
[Sidenote: =Spatularia Brunoniana= Bong. _Tall Saxifrage._]
Copiously glandular-hairy, 4—15 inches tall. Leaves crowded on the
short rootstock, spatulate to oblanceolate-spatulate, 1—3 inches
long, sharply and sometimes broadly toothed, mostly above the middle.
Flower-stems solitary or several together, widely branching, bracts
much smaller than the leaves; flowers terminating the stem, branches,
and branchlets, but on many of the ultimate branchlets represented by
clusters of green bulblets; sepals oblong-ovate to triangular-ovate, ⅙
of an inch or less long, purple, reflexed; petals white, ¼ of an inch
long or less, the three upper with lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate
blades; two lower with elliptic or spatulate-elliptic blades; seed
pods ¼ of an inch long with diverging tips. The commonest form in the
Selkirks, everywhere along streams and banks.
[Sidenote: =Leptarrhena pyrolifolia= (D. Don.) R. Br. _Leptarrhena._]
Caudex horizontal or ascending, clothed with folded leaf bases. Leaves
leathery, oblong, or sometimes slightly broadest above or below
the middle, 1½—3½ inches long, obtuse, serrate or crenate-serrate,
deep green and lustrous above, paler beneath, narrowed into winged
petiole-like bases. Flower-stalks 4—18 inches high, bearing 1 or 2
clasping leaves; flowers small and inconspicuous, at first congested in
a compact head, becoming separated; sepals ovate, about as long as the
base of the calyx, each with a terminal gland and usually some lateral
glands; petals narrowly spatulate, white, ⅛ of an inch long; seed pods
¼ of an inch long with slightly spreading tips; purplish.
Along alpine streams and in damp shaded places, rather abundant
throughout the region at the higher altitudes; flowering in June.
[Sidenote: =Leptasea Van-Bruntiæ= Small. _Fleshy Saxifrage._]
Stems decumbent. Leaves ⅛—½ of an inch long, the blades very thick,
flattish, smooth, ciliate on the margins, spine-tipped. Flowers
1—several on stalks, 1½—3 inches tall, finely glandular-hairy, leafy,
bearing larger leaves than the decumbent stems; sepals ovate to
oblong-ovate, ⅛ of an inch long, smooth, more or less eroded at the
apex; petals deep yellow, oblong, much longer than the calyx; seed pods
¼ of an inch or more long.
A common species throughout the Rockies, forming mats on the wet gravel
and sand of the shores and flood-plains of the rivers and torrent fans
at the bases of the moraines; flowering throughout June and July.
[Sidenote: =Leptasea austromontana= (Wiegand) Small. _Common
Saxifrage._]
Leaves of the caudices ½ an inch or less long, stiff and crowded, but
more or less spreading, the blades narrowly lanceolate to subulate,
ciliate, slender, spine-tipped. Flower-stalks 1½—6 inches tall, nearly
smooth or finely glandular-hairy, bearing several leaves which are
smaller than those of the caudices; sepals ovate, sometimes rather
narrowly so, ⅛ of an inch long, smooth or sparingly ciliate, obtuse;
petals white, usually yellow-spotted, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, ¼ of
an inch or more long, filaments slender; seed pods often nearly ½ an
inch long.
Common everywhere throughout the Rockies at the lower altitudes on bare
rocks and stony slopes, frequently forming mats a foot or more across;
flowering in June.
[Sidenote: =Antiphylla oppositifolia= (L.) Fourr. _Purple Saxifrage._]
Plants in dense mats, leaves densely folded together except on the
flower-stalks and sometimes on the elongated stems, 4-ranked, the
blades obovate to spatulate, ¼ of an inch long, ciliate, keeled.
Flower-stalks ½—1 inch long or sometimes shorter when young, leafy;
sepals oblong to ovate, ⅛ of an inch long, ciliate all around; petals
lilac or purple, elliptic or oval, showy, ⅓ of an inch long, each
narrowed into a stout claw.
Usually a high alpine species and not infrequently forming mats of
considerable size; throughout the region, flowering in July.