[Spring Beauties and Miner's Lettuce: The Genus Claytonia East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Pale Montia, Pale Springbeauty

Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua

Synonyms: Claytonia spathulata, Claytonia spathulata var. exigua, Claytonia spathulata var. spathulata, Montia spathulata, Montia spathulata var. exigua, Montia spathulata var. spathulata

Pale Montia, Pale Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua (Synonyms: Claytonia spathulata, Claytonia spathulata var. exigua, Claytonia spathulata var. spathulata, Montia spathulata, Montia spathulata var. exigua, Montia spathulata var. spathulata) - Pale Montia, Pale Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua (Synonyms: Claytonia spathulata, Claytonia spathulata var. exigua, Claytonia spathulata var. spathulata, Montia spathulata, Montia spathulata var. exigua, Montia spathulata var. spathulata)

Pale montia as seen at left at the crest of the Columbia Hills in the eastern Columbia River Gorge..........May 5, 2005. Note the glaucous cast to the entire plant, the narrow, erect basal rosette of leaves and the claw-like pair of stem leaves subtending the short inflorescence of this species. The photo at right shows pale montia near Box Canyon Road on BLM lands about one-half mile east of the gated trailhead that's on Simcoe Mountains Unit of Klickitat Wildlife Area lands......May 22, 2022.
Pale Montia, Pale Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua (Synonyms: Claytonia spathulata, Claytonia spathulata var. exigua, Claytonia spathulata var. spathulata, Montia spathulata, Montia spathulata var. exigua, Montia spathulata var. spathulata) Pale montia as seen from Stacker Butte, Columbia Hills, Columbia River Gorge, Washington...............April, 2002.
Characteristics:

Pale montia is a small, glaucous annual with one to several simple, erect stems from 10-60 cm long. The numerous basal leaves are linear to linear-spatulate, measuring from 2-6 cm long and 0.5-1.5 mm wide. The two stem leaves are opposite, wider and larger than the basal leaves. They are linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate in shape and measure from 5-40 mm long. As seen from the photos, the stem leaves can appear somewhat similar in appearance to the claw of a crab.

The racemes measure from 5-20 mm long. The 2-7 flowers are whitish to pink in color, with the 2 sepals 1-2 mm long and the petals from 2.5-4.5 mm long.

Habitat:

Pale montia is found on seasonally moist to dry soils in the lowlands.

Range:

Pale montia may be found from southern British California south along the western edge of the Washington Cascades to the Columbia River, and south along both sides of the Oregon Cascades to southern California.

Pale Montia, Pale Springbeauty: Claytonia exigua ssp. exigua (Synonyms: Claytonia spathulata, Claytonia spathulata var. exigua, Claytonia spathulata var. spathulata, Montia spathulata, Montia spathulata var. exigua, Montia spathulata var. spathulata)

Pale montia as seen from Stacker Butte, Columbia Hills, Columbia River Gorge, Washington..........April, 2002.
Paul Slichter