Idaho Saxifrage

Micranthes idahoensis

General: Herbaceous perennial from short, horizontal rhizomes, the 1-3 leafless, pubescent stems 1-2.5 dm. tall.
Leaves: Leaves basal, the blades elliptic, up to 6 cm. long and 3 cm. wide, with 15-30 rounded teeth; petioles slightly winged, 1-3 times as long as the blades.
Flowers: Inflorescence pyramidal, open, up to 10 cm. long, the branches ascending; calyx divided about half its length, the 5 ovate lobes 1-2.5 mm. long; petals 5, white, broadly elliptic, 1.5-3 mm. long, with 2 yellow spots near the base; stamens 10, the filaments petaloid, strongly club-shaped, 3-4 times as broad above the middle as at the base.
Fruits: Ovary less than 1/3 inferior, with 2 follicles
Idaho Saxifrage I love, love this family of flowers. They are tiny little surprises in complexity that are rarely revealed unless you get down on your knees are take a really close - magnified even - look. Then you can see that they have intricately cut little petals, often with tiny spots of color and bright stamens. (look close these have two subtle yellow dots). They are so very easy to walk right by, but if you take a moment you discover something amazing. Geotagged,Idaho Saxifrage,Micranthes idahoensis,Spring,United States

Appearance

General: Herbaceous perennial from short, horizontal rhizomes, the 1-3 leafless, pubescent stems 1-2.5 dm. tall.
Leaves: Leaves basal, the blades elliptic, up to 6 cm. long and 3 cm. wide, with 15-30 rounded teeth; petioles slightly winged, 1-3 times as long as the blades.
Flowers: Inflorescence pyramidal, open, up to 10 cm. long, the branches ascending; calyx divided about half its length, the 5 ovate lobes 1-2.5 mm. long; petals 5, white, broadly elliptic, 1.5-3 mm. long, with 2 yellow spots near the base; stamens 10, the filaments petaloid, strongly club-shaped, 3-4 times as broad above the middle as at the base.
Fruits: Ovary less than 1/3 inferior, with 2 follicles

Naming

Saxifraga idahoensis Piper
Saxifraga marshallii Greene
Saxifraga marshallii Greene ssp. idahoensis (Piper) Krause & Beamish
Saxifraga marshallii Greene var. idahoensis (Piper) Engl. & Irmsch.
Saxifraga occidentalis S. Wats. var. idahoensis (Piper) C.L. Hitchc.

Distribution

Washington and Oregon, east to Montana and Idaho.

Habitat

Exposed areas, ledges, and open slopes.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?ID=4708
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderSaxifragales
FamilySaxifragaceae
GenusMicranthes
SpeciesMicranthes idahoensis
Photographed in
United States of America