[Spring Beauties and Miner's Lettuce: The Genus Claytonia in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

The photos on this page were all taken at a large clearcut along FS Rd 82 on Mt. Adams, at approximately an elevation of 2540'...........May 7, 2005. Notice the reddish color of the young plants and stems, and the stem leaf directly below the inflorescence which is often incompletely perfoliate (does not wrap completely around the stem). Note in the basal rosette of leaves, that the long-petiolate leaves are arranged in series of different lengths of leaves, with the innermost the shortest. The basal leaves of red miner's lettuce are either flattened to the ground or suberect. In subspecies rubra, the base of the basal leaf blade abruptly narrows to the petiole as seen here.In subspecies depressa, the basal leaf blade is lanceolate, spatulate, rhombic, or ovate with the base of the blade that gradually tapers to the petiole.

Close-up details of erubescent miner's lettuce as seen in vernally moist swales in biscuit-swale country surrounding upper Swale Canyon, Klickitat County..........April 23, 2010. Claytonia rubra has basal leaves that are somewhat flattened to the ground to spreading or somewhat ascending while Claytonia perfoliata has ascending to stiffly erect basal leaves. The stem leaves of Claytonia rubra are completely separate to partially perfoliate with one side deeply notched to completely cleft while those of Claytonia perfoliata are completely perfoliate or occasionally shallowly notched. Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra has leaf blades that are spade shaped (the base of the blade contracts abruptly to the petiole) while those of Claytonia rubra ssp. depressa are lanceolate, spatulate, rhombic or ovate with the base of the blade tapering gradually to the petiole.

Erubescent miner's lettuce seen in an area burned by the 2014 wildfire which burned on the southeastern slopes of Sevenmile Hill several miles northwest of The Dalles, Oregon.........March 30, 2015.