Lewisia pygmaea

Lewisia pygmaea is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name alpine lewisia and pygmy bitterroot. It is native to western North America from Alaska and Alberta to California and New Mexico, where it grows in many types of moist, rocky mountain habitat, such as gravel beds and sandy meadows.

Lewisia pygmaea
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Montiaceae
Genus:	Lewisia
Species:	L. pygmaea
Binomial name
Lewisia pygmaea (A.Gray) B.L.Rob.
Synonyms[2]
List Calandrinia grayi Britton Calandrinia pygmaea (A.Gray) A.Gray Claytonia grayi F.Muell. Claytonia parva Kuntze Lewisia aridorum (A.Heller) S.Clay Lewisia exarticulata H.St.John Lewisia minima A.Nelson Lewisia sierrae Ferris Oreobroma aridorum A.Heller Oreobroma exarticulatum (H.St.John) Rydb. Oreobroma grayi (Britton) Rydb. Oreobroma minimum A.Nelson Oreobroma pygmaeum (A.Gray) Howell Talinum pygmaeum A.Gray

Description

Lewisia pygmaea is a highly variable species with a wide distribution, and it often hybridizes with other Lewisia species, making identification difficult. In general, this is a petite perennial herb growing from a taproot and caudex unit, and producing a basal rosette of several leaves 2 to 8 centimeters long. The leaves are narrow but thick and fleshy, blunt-tipped, and linear to lance-shaped. The inflorescence is usually made up of a few very short stems each bearing one or more flowers which appear to be sitting on or within the basal leaf rosette. Each flower has 5 to 9 white, pink or red petals which may or may not have dark veining or striping. The petals are 4 millimeters to 1 centimeter long.

Habitat and Range

Lewisia pygmaea grows in open areas with short turf and in gravelly or rocky soils. It can be found naturally growing in Alta., B.C., Yukon; Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.Mex., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.^[3]