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

Alpine Springbeauty, Fell Fields Claytonia

Claytonia megarhiza

Synonyms: Claytonia arctica, Claytonia arctica var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. bellidifolia, Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis

  Alpine springbeauty (variety megarhiza) as seen in talus atop Arsenic Peak, at the eastern edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana.......July 27, 1999.

Alpine springbeauty (former variety bellidifolia) as seen on Strawberry Mountain, Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.......August 3, 2011.

Alpine Springbeauty: Claytonia megarhiza (Synonyms: Claytonia arctica, Claytonia arctica var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. bellidifolia, Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis)The photo at right is a close-up of alpine springbeauty (variety bellidifolia) as seen in talus at Strawberry Mt., Strawberry Mt. Wilderness.......July 5, 2002. Note the broad, fleshy leaves with spatulate blades tapering gradually to wide petioles.
Characteristics:

Alpine springbeauty is an attractive perennial of rocky, alpine areas with a fleshy, elongated taproot. The basal leaves are numerous, forming flattened to rounded rosettes. Individual leaves are fleshy, broadly spatulate in shape with a narrow to broad petiole that is 1-3 times longer than the blade. The basal leaves are 5-25 mm wide. The stems are numerous, containing 2 nearly opposite linear to oblanceolate leaves up to 5 mm wide near midstem.

The flowers are in leafy bracteate clusters at the end of the stems, the bracts spatulate to linear in shape. The 2 sepals are either green and succulent with obtuse tips, measuring up to 4-6 mm long, or they are reddish, thinner with acute tips, the length from 6-9 mm long. The 5 petals are whte, rose or deep pink, measuring 7-15 mm long.


Habitat:

Alpine springbeauty may be found in talus or on gravel slopes above timberline in the mountains.


Range:

Alpine springbeauty may be found from the Wenatchee Mts. of central Washington south to the Blue and Wallowa Mts. of northeastern Oregon and eastward through the mountains to the Rocky Mts of southern Alberta south through Montana, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.


Basal leaf rosette of Alpine Springbeauty, Fell Fields Claytonia: Claytonia megarhiza (Synonyms: Claytonia arctica, Claytonia arctica var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. bellidifolia, Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis) - Basal leaf rosettes of Alpine Springbeauty, Fell Fields Claytonia: Claytonia megarhiza (Synonyms: Claytonia arctica, Claytonia arctica var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. bellidifolia, Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis)

Basal leaf rosettes of Alpine Springbeauty, Fell Fields Claytonia: Claytonia megarhiza (Synonyms: Claytonia arctica, Claytonia arctica var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. bellidifolia, Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis)

Alpine springbeauty as seen on moist gravelly soils at the base of rock outcrops in late snowmelt areas along the South Loop Road of the Steens Mountain........September 20, 2015.

Alpine Springbeauty, Fell Fields Claytonia: Claytonia megarhiza (Synonyms: Claytonia arctica, Claytonia arctica var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. bellidifolia, Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis)

Alpine springbeauty beginning to bloom amongst talus rocks near the summit of the Strawbery Basin Trail #375 (at a point where the snow hangs late into the season several hundred yards south of the junction with the Onion Creek Trail #368), Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.........July 18, 2013.

Alpine Springbeauty, Fell Fields Claytonia: Claytonia megarhiza (Synonyms: Claytonia arctica, Claytonia arctica var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. bellidifolia, Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis)

Alpine springbeauty as seen on north-facing slopes near the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, Eagle Cap Wilderness.......August 13, 2018.

Flowers of Alpine Springbeauty, Fell Fields Claytonia: Claytonia megarhiza (Synonyms: Claytonia arctica, Claytonia arctica var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. bellidifolia, Claytonia megarhiza var. megarhiza, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis)

Alpine springbeauty (variety megarhiza) as seen in talus atop Arsenic Peak, at the eastern edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana.......July 27, 1999.


Paul Slichter