[The Genus Hesperochiron East of
the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]
Dwarf Hesperochiron, Dwarf Monkey-fiddle
Hesperochiron pumilus
Synonyms: Hesperochiron pumilus var. ciliatus, Hesperochiron villosulus
The photo above shows a close-up of dwarf hesperochiron as seen in moist meadows at Memaloose along Hat Pt. Road in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area...........June 28, 2007.
The photo at right shows a view of dwarf hesperochiron as seen along the north loop road of the Steens Mt.........late June, 1997.
Characteristics:
Dwarf hesperochiron is a small spring blooming perennial from
5 cm to 10 cm in height. The leaves are smooth and green, with ciliate margins,
occasionally with short spreading hairs on the upper leaf surface.
This species generally has one to five flowers, with the corolla
white or white with puplish linear markings running parallel to the axis of
the petals. Individual flowers are saucer-shaped or rotate, with the lobes or
free parts of the petals much longer than the central tube. Individual flowers
are from 1.5 to 3 cm wide. The central tube is densely yellow haired.
Dwarf hesperochiron is similar to California hesperochiron
Hesperochiron californicus, although the latter usually has more flowers
(greater than 5) which are campanulate or funnelform, with the lobes about the
same length as the tube. The latter plant also is found in more alkaline areas
in the foothills and valleys.
Habitat:
Dwarf hesperochiron is plant of moist, open slopes, meadows,
and swales. It may be found in the valley bottoms, but is more common in the
uplands......the foothills and well up into the mountains. Where it occurs,
it is frequently very numerous.
Range:
Dwarf hesperochiron is found
wholly east of the Cascade Mt. range, from central Washington south through
Oregon to California, and eastward to the western edge of Montana, then south
to Utah, Colorado, and Arizona.
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Dwarf hesperochiron as seen in vernally moist swales in scablands atop Lookout Mountain, Ochoco National Forest.........May 29, 2016.
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Dwarf hesperochiron as seen at a rocky meadow along FS Road #42 and Johnson Creek on forest service lands about 100 meters west of private land fencing in western Big Summit Prairie, Ochoco National Forest...........April 29, 2016.
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Close-up images of dwarf hesperochiron as seen in moist meadows at Memaloose along Hat Pt. Road in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area...........June 28, 2007.
Also in bloom at lower right is threeleaf lewisia (Lewisia triphylla).
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Dwarf hesperochiron as seen (left) on lithosol soils along Road 35 about one-half mile downhill from the junction with Road 3517 on Table Mountain, Wenatchee National Forest...........June 4, 2013 The photo at right shows dwarf hesperochiron as seen in scablands near the junction of FS Roads #42 and #300, Ochoco National Forest and adjacent BLM lands..........April 30, 2016.
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Close-up images of the flowers of dwarf hesperochiron as seen at Wilson Creek, a BLM site about 10 miles southwest of Wilbur, WA............April 30, 2007.
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Dwarf hesperochiron as seen (left) in bloom in vernally moist swales along the Round Mountain South Trail #805 about half way between the southern trailhead and Round Mt., Ochoco National Forest.........May 28, 2016. The photo at right shows dwarf hesperochiron blooming in a vernally moist swale along Forest Road 4215 a couple miles south of the junction with Forest Road 42, Ochoco National Forest........May 9, 2017.
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Dwarf hesperochiron as seen atop Bickleton Ridge in the Bickleton Ridge Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area.........May 7, 2017.
The photo above shows a close-up side-view of the saucer-shaped flower of dwarf hesperochiron as seen at a rocky meadow near 2800' along road K6000 on the eastern slopes of Mt. Adams...........May 6, 2006.
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Dwarf hesperochiron beginning to bloom at left along the Twin Pillars Trail #832 about one-third of a mile south of the north trailhead at Bingham Springs, Mill Creek Wilderness.......May 18, 2018. The photo at right shows dwarf hesperochiron in bloom along Forest Road 4240 about one mile south of Lame Dog Creek, Ochoco National Forest.......April 26, 2018.
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Dwarf hesperochiron spotted in bloom at left around late snow-melt patches on the upper south-facing slopes of Sugarloaf Mountain, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest......July 18, 2019. The smaller, narrow leaves surrounding this plant are Cusick's desert parsley (Lomatium cusickii). The photo at right shows dwarf hesperochiron in bloom on vernally moist soils in a drainage off the west side of Bullrun Rock aong the Bullrun Trail #1961, Monument Rock Wilderness......July 9, 2023.
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Dwarf hesperochiron in bloom on vernally moist soils near the north end of the Road's End Trail (about 100 meters south of the junction with the Onion Creek Trail), Malheur National Forest and Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.....July 7, 2023.
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Dwarf hesperochiron (left) from Fremont Point, Winter Ridge, above Summer
Lake, OR..........late May, 1996. The photo at right shows dwarf hesperochiron as seen fromopen upland pine forest around the Silver Creek Marsh Campground, Fremont-Winema National Forest..........April 30, 2017.
Paul Slichter