Rhodiola integrifolia
Rhodiola integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names ledge stonecrop,[1] western roseroot, and king's crown. It is native to north-easternmost Russia, including Kamchatka, and western North America, where it grows in mountainous habitat in subalpine and alpine climates, including meadows, cliffs, and talus. It is a perennial herb producing a stout stem from a fleshy, branching caudex, reaching a maximum height near 30 centimeters. The fleshy leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, widely lance-shaped to oval and pointed, flat but upcurved toward the tip, reaching 2.5 centimeters long. They are green when new and age to orange, rose, or red. The inflorescence is a dense cyme of up to 50 flowers with fleshy petals in shades of bright red to deep purple. The fruits are red, rounded ovals with pointed tips.[2]
Rhodiola integrifolia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Saxifragales |
Family: | Crassulaceae |
Genus: | Rhodiola |
Species: | R. integrifolia |
Binomial name | |
Rhodiola integrifolia | |
Synonyms | |
Sedum integrifolium |
There are several subspecies of this plant, with one, ssp. leedyi, very rare and limited to a few populations in Minnesota and upstate New York.[3] This subspecies is considered a relict from times when its range was covered in glaciers; it survives on barren cliffs which are kept cold by air blowing through cracks from caves.[3] It is treated as a federally listed threatened species in the United States.[3]
References
- USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Rhodiola integrifolia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- Elizabeth Wenk (2015). Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail. Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-738-6.
- Center for Plant Conservation Archived 2010-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Jepson Manual Treatment
- Washington Burke Museum
- Photo gallery
- Flora of the U.S.S.R. (as R. atropurpurea)