Minuartia cismontana
Encyclopedia
Minuartia cismontana is a species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common name cismontane minuartia. It is native to Oregon
and northern and central California
, where it occurs in woodland and chaparral
habitat, often on serpentine soil
s. It is similar to Minuartia californica
and M. pusilla
, but it was found to be a different species and was described as new in 1992. It is an ephemeral annual herb producing a stiff, erect, green or reddish purple stem up to about 25 centimeters tall from a thin taproot
. The small, sparse leaves are up to a centimeter long and not more than 1 or 2 millimeters wide. They are green or reddish purple in color, shiny and hairless. The inflorescence
contains up to 20 flowers with white petals, each on a thin branch.
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
known by the common name cismontane minuartia. It is native to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and northern and central 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...
, where it occurs in woodland and chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
habitat, often on serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s. It is similar to Minuartia californica
Minuartia californica
Minuartia californica is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name California sandwort. It is native to valleys, foothills, and mountains in Oregon and California, where it grows in many types of habitat, including chaparral, vernal pools, and roadsides...
and M. pusilla
Minuartia pusilla
Minuartia pusilla is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names annual sandwort and dwarf stitchwort. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Utah, where it grows in mountain forests, chaparral, and other habitat. It is a petite...
, but it was found to be a different species and was described as new in 1992. It is an ephemeral annual herb producing a stiff, erect, green or reddish purple stem up to about 25 centimeters tall from a thin taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
. The small, sparse leaves are up to a centimeter long and not more than 1 or 2 millimeters wide. They are green or reddish purple in color, shiny and hairless. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
contains up to 20 flowers with white petals, each on a thin branch.