Micranthes lyallii
Redstem saxifrage
Common Names
Lyall’s saxifrage
redstem saxifrage
red-stemmed saxifrage
Synonyms
Saxifraga lyallii
Saxifraga lyallii ssp. lyallii
Saxifraga lyallii ssp. hultenii
Saxifraga lyallii var. hultenii
Subspecies
hybrid parent of Micranthes lyallii × Micranthes odontoloma (British Columbia only)
Genus: Micranthes
Family: Saxifragaceae
Order: Saxifragalas
taxonomic heirarchy
Duration – Growth Habit
Perennial – forb/herb
Identification and Information
Micranthes lyalii, commonly known as red-stemmed saxifrage, is a perennial herb that grows from long, well-developed rhizomes. It may grow individually or in clusters. The leaves are primarily basal. The basal leaves are spatulate to obovate or fan-shaped (spoon-shaped or oval) with rounded to flattened petioles and green with red margins. The leaf margins are strongly serrate to dentate. If present, the stem leaves are small and bract-like.
If you'd like these field notes and more by email, subscribe to my newsletter. Free.
The flowering stems are 4-30 cm tall, often branched, and support 10-15 flowers. The stems, calyces, and fruits are often deep red. The inflorescence is a branched panicle. The flowers have green-purple reflexed sepals and white or pinkish egg-shaped petals, about 2-5.5 mm longer than the sepals, with two distinct yellow or greenish-yellow basal spots. It has 10 stamens with 6 mm long filaments and red anthers. The fruit is a deep red, two-beaked 6-12 mm long follicle with curved beaks.
Flowering summer-early autumn.
M. lyallii is monoecious with bisexual flowers.
M. lyallii is known to hybridize with Micranthes odontoloma in Alberta, British Columbia, northern Idaho, and Montana.
Uses
For information only (typically historical) – I take no responsibility for adverse effects from the use of any plant.
No traditional, medicinal, or culinary uses were found.
Distribution and Habitat
Micranthes lyallii is primarily distributed across northwestern North America, including Alaska, western Canada, and the northern states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. While the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) does report three occurrences in Siberia, these have not been included in this summary due to the lack of photographic evidence, insufficient details on the dataset, and the absence of mention in other reliable sources confirming its presence outside North America.
It prefers moist soils and can be found near streambanks, wet meadows, and gravelly slopes, mostly in mountainous or alpine zones.
Classification
| Rank | Common Name (Scientific Name) |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae (plantes, Planta, Vegetal, plants) |
| Subkingdom | Viridiplantae (green plants) |
| Infrakingdom | Streptophyta (land plants) |
| Superdivision | Embryophyta |
| Division | Tracheophyta (vascular plants, tracheophytes) |
| Subdivision | Spermatophytina (spermatophytes, seed plants, phanérogames) |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Superorder | Saxifraganae |
| Order | Saxifragales |
| Family | Saxifragaceae (saxifrages, saxifragacées) |
| Genus | Micranthes Haw. (alpine saxifrage) |
| Species | Micranthes lyallii |
References and Further Reading
Guidebook
None
Classification and Taxonomy
Plants of the World Online. (2024). Micranthes lyallii. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:160046-2#synonyms
Canadensys. (2024). VASCAN: The Database of Vascular Plants of Canada, Micranthes lyallii. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/taxon/9250?lang=en
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database. (2024). Micranthes lyallii. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=SALYL
Uses
none
Map and Distribution
GBIF. (2024). Micranthes lyallii. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://www.gbif.org/species/5567640
NatureServe Explorer. (2024). Micranthes lyallii. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.136971/Micranthes_lyallii
Description and Information
Flora of North America. (2024). Micranthes lyallii. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from http://floranorthamerica.org/Micranthes_lyallii
Hultén, E. (1968). Flora of Alaska and Neighboring Territories: A Manual of the Vascular Plants (1st ed.) (pg. 578). Stanford University Press.
University of Alaska Fairbanks. (2024). Ecological Atlas of Denali’s Flora: Micranthes lyallii. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://ecologicalatlas.uaf.edu/index.php/browse-plant-species/atlas-page/?nps_id=1806
University of British Columbia. (2024). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia, Micranthes lyallii. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Micranthes%20lyallii&redblue=Both&lifeform=7
