Photo at right of small-flowered alumroot (possibly variety diversifolia)on
the Hamilton Mt. Trail, Columbia River Gorge.....June 1988.
Small-flowered alumroot is an attractive perennial with several to many slender, brown-colored, hairy stems arising 30-45 cm in height from a cluster of basal leaves. The stems are leafless except for minute bracts within the inflorescence. The basal leaves have long, thin petioles which are several times longer than the length of the blades. The leaf blade is 3-8 cm wide and about as long. The shape is kidney-like or ovate-heart-shaped with 5-7 shallow rounded lobes or 5-7 deeper and more acutely tipped lobes. The petioles and the undersides of the leaves tend to be hairy.
The inflorescence is open with many horizontal side branches with clusters of several white flowers. The petals are white, clawed, and twisted.
Small-flowered alumroot may be found on rocky, shady streambanks, rock crevices, and on cliffs and talus slopes in steep sloped areas.
Small-flowered alumroot may be found from British Columbia south in the Cascades (on both sides) to the Sierra Nevada, and west as far as Monterey County, California. It may be found east in Oregon to the Wallowa Mts. and Blue Mts of northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington and into adjacent Idaho.