Rhodiola integrifolia

Rhodiola integrifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Rhodiola
Species: R. integrifolia
Binomial name
Rhodiola integrifolia
Raf.
Synonyms

Sedum integrifolium
Sedum rosea

Rhodiola integrifolia, top view of clump
Rhodiola integrifolia, closeup of flowerhead in fruit

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]

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 subterranean caves.[3] It is treated as a federally listed threatened species in the United States.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Rhodiola integrifolia". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Elizabeth Wenk (2015). Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail. Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-738-6.
  3. 1 2 3 Center for Plant Conservation
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