Lithophragma tenellum
Encyclopedia
Lithophragma tenellum is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family
known by the common name slender woodland star. It is native to much of western North America from British Columbia
to California
to New Mexico
, where it grows in several types of open habitat. It is a rhizomatous
perennial herb growing erect or leaning with a naked flowering stem. The leaves are mainly located low on the stem, each divided into three toothed lobes. The stem bears 3 to 12 flowers, each in a cuplike calyx of red or green sepal
s. The five petals are white or pink, up to 7 millimeters long, and lined with several lobes or teeth.
Saxifragaceae
Saxifragaceae is a plant family with about 460 known species in 36 genera. In Europe there are 12 genera.The flowers are hermaphroditic and actinomorphic...
known by the common name slender woodland star. It is native to much of western North America from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where it grows in several types of open habitat. It is a rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb growing erect or leaning with a naked flowering stem. The leaves are mainly located low on the stem, each divided into three toothed lobes. The stem bears 3 to 12 flowers, each in a cuplike calyx of red or green sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s. The five petals are white or pink, up to 7 millimeters long, and lined with several lobes or teeth.