[The Purslane Family in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

The Miner's-lettuce of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington

The Genus Montia

Dwarf Miner's-lettuce, Dwarf Montia: Montia dichotoma (Synonyms: Claytonia dichotoma, Montiastrum dichotomum)

Dwarf montia as seen in vernally moist areas to the east of the Coyote Wall in the central Columbia River Gorge.............April 10, 2010.

Chamisso's Montia, Toad Lily, Water Miner's-lettuce, Water Montia: Montia chamissoi (Synonyms: Claytonia chamissoi, Crunocallis chamissoi) - Perennial. Several pairs of stem leaves are generally opposite and narrowly spatulate (oblanceolate). If alternate, the petals are usually twice as long as the sepals. Petals 6-8 mm long.

Dwarf Montia, Dwarf Miner's-lettuce: Montia dichotoma (Synonyms: Claytonia dichotoma, Montiastrum dichotomum) - Annual. The several leaves are alternate, linear and 6-15 mm long. Flowers racemose. Petals and sepals roughly equal in length, to 2 mm.

Branching Montia, Spreading Miner's-lettuce, Spreading Candy-flower: Montia diffusa (Synonyms: Claytonia diffusa, Limnalsine diffusa) - Annual. The several to many leaves are alternate, long petiolate with lanceolate to rounded blades up to 3 mm wide. Petals 3-5 mm long.

Water-chickweed, Water Chickweed, Annual Water Miner's-lettuce, Blinks: Montia fontana (Synonyms: Claytonia hallii, Montia clara, Montia dipetala, Montia fontana ssp. fontana, Montia fontana var. lamprosperma, Montia fontana var. tenerrima, Montia funstonii, Montia hallii, Montia minor) - Annual with weak prostrate to spreading and ascending stems that root at the nodes.. The several pairs of stem leaves are opposite and narrowly ovate to oblanceolate and 6-12 mm long. The 3-5 petals are up to 2 mm long, fused up to half their length and often of unequal sizes as well as about equal to the sepals in length.

Howell's Montia, Howell's Miner's-lettuce: Montia howellii (Synonyms: Claytonia howellii, Maxia howellii, Montiastrum howellii) - Low annual with freely-branched, spreading stems 2-6 cm. long, often rooting at the nodes. Leaves alternate, linear-spatulate to linear-oblanceolate, 5-20 mm. long and 0.5-1.5 mm. wide.

Line-leaf Montia, Lineleaf Indian Lettuce, Narrowleaf Miner's-lettuce, Narrowleaf Montia, Narrow-leaved Montia: Montia linearis (Synonym: Claytonia linearis) - Annual. The several to many leaves are alternate, linear in shape and 2-5 cm long. The petals are equal to or slightly longer than the sepals, measuring 3-7 mm long.

Littleleaf Miners Lettuce, Littleleaf Miner's-lettuce, Little-leaf Montia, Streambank Springbeauty: Montia parvifolia (Synonyms: Claytonia parvifolia, Montia flagellaris, Montia parvifolia var. flagellaris, Montia parvifolia ssp. flagellaris, Montia parvifolia var. parvifolia, Montia parvifolia ssp. parvifolia, Naiocrene parvifolia) -


Paul Slichter E-mail