Snow Dwarf Primrose

Androsace nivalis

Douglasia nivalis (also known as Androsace nivalis) is an exceptional alpine species only found in the Wenatchee Mountains and some eastern outliers to the Cascade Range to the north most notably on Chumstick Mountain near Leavenworth. The leaves are grey in appearance due to the dense hairs which is unusual in the species. On the Iron Peak trail it is found over a wide elevation range from about 1300 m to the summit ridge at 1900 m. The lower elevation occurrences are in openings in the forest cover.
Snow Dwarf Primrose  Androsace nivalis,Geotagged,Snow Dwarf Primrose,Spring,United States

Appearance

General: Mat-forming perennial herbs, the stems ascending, dichotomously branched, grayish overall with dense, fine, stellate pubescence.
Leaves: Leaves in rosettes at the end of the branches, linear to oblanceolate, 1-3 cm. long and 1.5-4 mm. broad, entire to serrate.
Flowers: Flowers in umbels on peduncles 1-7 cm. long; umbels 2- to 8-flowered, the pedicels 3-40 mm. long, subtended by an involucre of 4-10 lanceolate bracts 3-8 mm. long; calyx united its length, 6-7 mm. long, the 5 lobes deltoid, acuminate; corolla bright red to magenta-purple, the tube equaling the calyx, the 5 lobes ovate and wedge-shaped, rounded, 4-5 mm. long; stamens 5, opposite the corolla lobes, attached above mid-length on the corolla.
Fruits: Capsule opening by 5 valves

Naming

Douglasia nivalis Lindl.
Douglasia dentata S. Watson
Douglasia nivalis var. dentata (S. Watson) A. Gray
Douglasia nivalis var. nivalis Lindl.

Distribution

Wenatchee Mountains of Kittitas County, Washington, north into Chelan and Douglas Counties.

Habitat

Sagebrush slopes to alpine ridges and talus, often in serpentine soils.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?SciName=Douglasia%20nivalis
http://www.mountainflora.ca/Flora_of_the_Coast_Ranges/Douglasia_nivalis.html
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderEricales
FamilyPrimulaceae
GenusAndrosace
SpeciesAndrosace nivalis