Claytonia

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 204. 1753.

,

Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 96. 1754.

Common names: Spring beauty
Etymology: for John Clayton, 1686–1773, physician and plant collector in Virginia
Synonyms: Belia Steller ex J. G. Gmelin Limnia Haworth
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 465. Mentioned on page 457, 458.
Revision as of 20:03, 24 September 2019 by FNA>Volume Importer

Herbs, usually annual or perennial, occasionally biennial in Claytonia rubra. Roots branched, capillary or fibrous. Stems: subterranean stems tubers, rhizomes, or woody caudices, sometimes with multiple forms on single individuals (e.g., C. umbellata and C. tuberosa); aerial stems erect or decumbent; nodes glabrous. Leaves basal and cauline, not articulate at base, somewhat to markedly clasping, attachment points linear; basal leaves few to several in rosettes, blade linear, lanceolate, oblanceolate, spatulate, trullate, rhomboid, ovate, or deltate, apex obtuse to apiculate; cauline leaves 2 and opposite, rarely 3 and whorled, distinct or partially or completely connate, or perfoliate, blade linear to ovate. Inflorescences terminal, racemose or umbellate, secund, bracteate; bracts leaflike or membranous and scalelike. Flowers showy; sepals persistent, leaflike, unequal; petals 5; stamens 5, adnate to petal bases; ovary globose, ovules 3 or 6; style 1; stigmas 3. Capsules 3-valved, longitudinally dehiscent from apex, valves not deciduous, margins hygroscopic, involute. Seeds (1–)3–6, black, rounded, shiny and smooth to tuberculate, with white elaiosome; seeds dispersed ballistically and by ants. x = 5, 6, 7, 8.

Distribution

North America, (including Mexico), Central America (Guatemala), Asia, adventive in Europe and New Zealand. A related species, Claytonia joanneana Roemer & Schultes, occurs in the Altai Mountains of Siberia and Mongolia.

Discussion

Species 26 (25 in the flora).

Key

1 Plants annual, sometimes biennial, with minute, tuberous bodies > 2
1 Plants perennial, with stolons, rhizomes, tubers, or woody caudices > 10
2 Inflorescences with 2-several bracts (rarely only 2); proximalmost bract leaflike, distal bracts leaflike or reduced to membranous scales > 3
2 Inflorescence ebracteate or 1-bracteate; bract leaflike > 5
3 Flowers 4-8 mm diam.; petals not candy-striped; basal leaf blades rhombic or ovate Claytonia washingtoniana
3 Flowers 8-20 mm diam.; petals white, candy-striped, or pink; basal leaf blades linear to deltate > 4
4 Cauline leaf blades linear; distal bracts reduced to membranous scales; seeds (1-)6 Claytonia arenicola
4 Cauline leaf blades broad; distal bracts leaflike; seeds (1-)3 Claytonia sibirica
5 Flowers 10-15 mm diam.; inflorescences ebracteate Claytonia saxosa
5 Flowers 2-12 mm diam.; inflorescences 1-bracteate > 6
6 Basal leaf blades usually trullate or rhombic to deltate, sometimes spatulate, less than 3 times longer than wide > 7
6 Basal leaf blades usually linear, sometimes spatulate, blade much longer than wide > 8
7 Basal rosettes flattened to suberect; leaf blades trullate, spatulate, or narrowly rhombic to ovate, apex obtuse, red pigmentation often strong even in juvenile plants Claytonia rubra
7 Basal rosettes suberect to erect, seldom flattened; leaf blades broadly rhombic to deltate or reniform, apex obtuse to apiculate, red pigmentation often weak Claytonia perfoliata
8 Seeds often smooth or with low tubercles, not pebbly; leaf blades not glau- cous, green or pink Claytonia parviflora
8 Seeds often tuberculate and pebbly; leaf blades glaucous, gray, beige, or pink > 9
9 Flowers 3-5 mm diam Claytonia exigua
9 Flowers 6-12 mm diam Claytonia gypsophiloides
10 Plants with tubers sometimes connected by rhizomes > 11
10 Plants with rhizomes or woody caudices > 19
11 Bracts 2 or more, distal bracts leaflike or reduced to membranous scales; cauline leaves often strongly tapered in basal 1/2 > 12
11 Bracts 1 or absent, (rarely 2 in C. caroliniana); cauline leaves seldom tapered in no more than basal 1/4 > 15
12 Bracts all leaflike; tubers napiform Claytonia ogilviensis
12 Proximalmost bract leaflike, distal bracts reduced to membranous scales; tubers globose > 13
13 Petals white with yellow blotch at base Claytonia tuberosa
13 Petals white, pink, rose, magenta, cream, yellow, or yellow-orange, lacking yellow blotch at base > 14
14 Petals pink, rose, or magenta Claytonia rosea
14 Petals white, cream, yellow, or yellow-orange Claytonia multiscapa
15 Bracts absent; petals pink to magenta Claytonia umbellata
15 Bracts present; petals white, white with yellow blotch at base, yellow, orange, or candy-striped (sometimes pink, rose, or magenta in C. caroliniana, C. lanceolata, and C. virginica) > 16
16 Cauline leaf blades linear, 0.2-1.2 cm wide, tapered to slender base > 17
16 Cauline leaf blades lanceolate or spatulate to ovate, 0.4-2.5 cm wide, abruptly petiolate or sessile > 18
17 Petals white, pinkish, or rose, candy-striped, rarely yellow or orange, or white with pink-lavender candy-stripes; e North America to Texas Claytonia virginica
17 Petals white with yellow blotch at base; Alaska, Yukon Claytonia tuberosa
18 Basal leaves 6-21; cauline leaves petiolate; e North America Claytonia caroliniana
18 Basal leaves 1-6 or absent; cauline leaves sessile; w North American cordillera Claytonia lanceolata
19 Plants with woody caudices > 20
19 Plants rhizomatous > 22
20 Basal leaves and bracts with apex acute; petals white or pink to bright rose with yellow blotches at base, or white Claytonia acutifolia
20 Basal leaves and bracts (where present) with apex obtuse; petals usually pink to magenta, sometimes yellow or white > 21
21 Stems 1-10 cm; bracts absent; Alaska Claytonia arctica
21 Stems 10-50 cm; bracts present; not in Alaska Claytonia megarhiza
22 Bracts present; seeds (1-)3 > 23
22 Bracts absent; seeds (1-)6 > 24
23 Cauline leaves equal, sessile, blade lanceolate to ovate; basal leaf blades 1-5 cm wide Claytonia sibirica
23 Cauline leaves unequal, petiolate, blade linear to spatulate; basal leaf blades 0.1-1 cm wide Claytonia palustris
24 Rhizomes 0.5-3 mm diam.; Alaska, Yukon, n British Columbia > 25
24 Rhizomes 4-8 mm diam.; w United States > 26
25 Basal leaf baldes linear to narrowly spatualte, 1-10 × 0.1-1 cm Claytonia scammaniana
25 Basal leaf blades elliptic to spatulate, 1-8 × 1-2 cm Claytonia sarmentosa
26 Basal leaf blades deltate to ovate or cordate; cauline leaf blades 1-5 cm; petals white Claytonia cordifolia
26 Basal leaf blades spatulate to rhombic or ovate; cauline leaf blades 0.5-2 cm; petals pink to magenta Claytonia nevadensis
... more about "Claytonia"
John M. Miller +
Linnaeus +
Spring beauty +
North America +, (including Mexico) +, Central America (Guatemala) +, Asia +, adventive in Europe and New Zealand. A related species +, Claytonia joanneana Roemer & Schultes +  and occurs in the Altai Mountains of Siberia and Mongolia. +
for John Clayton, 1686–1773, physician and plant collector in Virginia +
Sp. Pl. +  and Gen. Pl. ed. +
1753 +  and 1754 +
chambers1993a +, davis1966a +, doyle1984a +, halleck1966a +, lewis1967a +, lewis1967b +, lewis1968a +, mcneill1972a +, miller1993a +  and packer-a +
Belia +  and Limnia +
Claytonia +
Portulacaceae +