[The Purslane Family in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

The Montias of the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

The Genus Montia

Little-leaf Montia: Montia parvifolia

Little-leaf Montia: Montia parvifolia

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 Miner's-lettuce, Dwarf Montia: 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.

Annual Water Miner's-lettuce, Blinks, Spring Water Chickweed, Water Chickweed: 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 Miner's-lettuce, Howell's Montia: 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) - Perennial. Stem leaves generally alternate. Petals 7-12 mm long. Basal rosette of obovate, oblanceolate or spatulate leaves 1.5-3 cm long and 2-20 mm long. Plants rhizomatous.


The following species were at one time included within this genus, but have recently been reclassified into the genus Claytonia:

Heart-leaf Springbeauty, Broad-leaf Montia: Claytonia cordifolia (formerly Montia cordifolia)

Pale Montia: Claytonia exigua var. exigua (formerly Montia exigua ssp. exigua)

Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata ssp perfoliata (formerly Montia perfoliata)

Red Miner's lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra (formerly Montia perfoliata var. rubra)

Siberian Spring Beauty, Candy Flower: Claytonia siberica var. sibirica (formerly Montia siberica)


Paul Slichter E-mail