Claytonia palustris

Claytonia palustris is a species of wildflower in the family Montiaceae known by the common names Jonesville springbeauty and marsh claytonia.

Claytonia palustris
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Montiaceae
Genus: Claytonia
Species:
C. palustris
Binomial name
Claytonia palustris
Swanson & Kelley

Distribution

The wildflower is endemic to California where it is an uncommon member of the flora in wet areas such as spring meadows in the high mountains from the Klamath Range to the High Sierra. The species epithet palustris is Latin for "of the marsh" and indicates its common habitat.[1] The species is diploid (2n = 12) with a chromosome base number of x = 6.[2]

Description

Claytonia palustris is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing a slender stem up to about 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) long.

It has leaves with oval-shaped blades a few centimeters long at the ends of long, narrow petioles.

The inflorescence bears up to 18 flowers on a long stalk. Each flower has 5 white or pink-tinted white petals just under a centimeter long. The bloom period is May to October.

References
  1. Archibald William Smith A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins, p. 258, at Google Books
  2. Miller, J. M. and K. L. Chambers. 2006. Systematics of Claytonia (Portulacaceae). Systematic Botany Monographs 78: 1-236. ISBN 0-912861-78-9


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