[Miner's Lettuce and Spring Beauties: The Genus Claytonia West of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]
Candy Flower, Siberian Springbeauty
Claytonia sibirica
Synonyms: Claytonia heterophylla, Claytonia sibirica var. bulbifera, Claytonia sibirica ssp. sibirica, Montia heterophylla, Montia sibirica, Montia sibirica var. bulbifera, Montia sibirica var. heterophylla, Montia sibirica var. sibirica
Note the striping on the petals as well as the notches at their tips.
Characteristics:
The candy flower is an annual or short lived perennial.
The 5 petals are peppermint-striped. The coloration is white with pink
stripes, and individual petals range from 6-12 mm long. 3-5 stamens are present.
The inflorescence is a raceme.
The 2 stem leaves are elliptical-shaped, thick and fleshy, ranging from
1-5 cm wide and up to 7 cm long. They appear opposite one another on the soft
, fleshy stem. The lower, basal leaves have long, thin petioles (2-3 time longer
than the blades) and lanceolate, elliptic, or rhombic-ovate blades from 1-4
cm wide and as long or longer. The blades may also be narrowly lanceolate and
3-10 mm wide.
Candy flower has numerous erect to decumbent stems arising 10-35 cm high.
The candy Flower wilts quickly after picking.
Habitat:
Candy flower may be found in the moist rich soils of open to shady woods from
the lowlands to moderate elevations in the mountains.
Range:
Candy flower may be found over much of western North America. It may be found
from Alaska south to southern California and east to Montana and Utah.
Uses:
1. Candy flower may be used as a lettuce or spinach substitute in salads. The leaves, stems, and flowers may all be eaten. All parts are high in vitamins A & C.
2. The juices may be rubbed into the hair with one's hands for use as a styling gel.
3. Early miners reportedly let ants walk over the leaves to help give it a tangy, vinegar-like flavor.
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Siberian miner's lettuce with bright flowers as seen along the trails through Nob Hill Park in St. Helens, OR........April 3, 2016.
Siberian miner's lettuce in bloom along the Pacific Crest Trail #2000 on the west side of Observation Peak at the the headwaters of Kettle Creek, Siskiyou Crest, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.......July 15, 2020.
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Note the paired upper stem leaves.
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Siberian spring beauty with dark foliage and stems blooming along the Cape Arago Trail at Shore Acres State Park.........April 19, 2016.
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The basal rosette of leaves of candy flower as seen at left along the Newton Road-Wildwood Trail-Fire Road 12 loop in Forest Park, northwestern Portland, Oregon...........January 6, 2013. The photo at right shows an early blooming siberian spring-beauty in a trough (where it had self seeded) in the webmaster's garden, Gresham, OR......March 30, 2019.
A close-up of the paired sepals of candy flower as seen in Gresham, OR........May 5, 2009.
Candy flower which had self-seeded into a plastic pot in the webmaster's Gresham, OR garden......April 14, 2023.
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Another close-up (left) of the candy-striped petals of candy flower as seen in Gresham, OR........May 5, 2009. The photo at right shows a close-up of a flower observed in Gresham, OR.........February 24, 2016.
Paul Slichter