PORTULACACEAE. 



139 



174. CLAYTONIA. 



Low and glabrous succulent herbs, perennial from corms or 

 thickened rootstocks or annual; basal leaves petioled, the cauline 

 opposite or alternate; flowers small, white or rose-colored, in 

 loose terminal racemes, lasting more than one day; sepals 2, 

 ovate, herbaceous, persistent; petals 5, equal; stamens 5; style 

 3-notched or cleft. 



Perennials with thick roots or corms. 

 Corm globose; cauline leaves oblong. 

 Caudex elongate; cauline leaves linear-spatulate. 

 Perennials or annuals; roots not cormose. 



Stem bearing only two leaves, these opposite. 

 Cauline leaves not united. 



Pedicels mostly bractless; perennial by rootstocks. 

 Pedicels mostly with bracts; roots fibrous. 

 Cauline leaves united, at least at base. 



United leaves not forming a disk, but linear or lan- 

 ceolate. 



United leaves forming a roundish disk. 

 Calyx 4 mm. long; seeds 2 mm. broad. 

 Calyx 2 mm. long; seeds 1 mm. broad. 

 Stems bearing more than two opposite leaves, or leaves 



alternate. 



Cauline leaves of several pairs, opposite. 

 Cauline leaves alternate. 



Perennial, producing slender stolons; leaves very 



fleshy. 



Annual; not stoloniferous; leaves not very fleshy. 

 Leaves broad, long-petioled; seeds striate. 

 Leaves narrow, sessile. 



Seeds dull, less than 1 mm. broad. 

 Seeds shining. 



Petals 4 mm. long; seeds 2 mm. broad. 

 Petals minute or absent; seeds 1 mm. 

 broad. 



C. lanceolata. 

 C. megarrhiza. 



C. asarifolia. 

 C. sibirica. 



C. spathulata. 



C. perfoliata. 

 C. parviflora. 



C. chamissoi. 



C. parvifolia. 

 C. diffusa. 

 C. dichotoma. 

 C. linearis. 

 C. howellii. 



Claytonia lanceolata Pursh. Stems simple, 8-15 cm. tall, erect, from a 

 globose tuber 1-4 cm. in diameter; radical leaves few or wanting, lanceolate, 

 acute, long-petioled; cauline a single pair, sessile, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 

 acute, 2-5 cm. long; flowers 3-10 in a short raceme which scarcely exceeds the 

 cauline leaves; pedicels slender; petals pink, oblong or ovate, emarginate, 

 8-10 mm. long; seeds black, shiny, 2 mm. broad. 



In mountain meadows at about 1500 m. altitude. 



Claytonia megarrhiza (Gray) Parry. Root very large, fusiform, bearing 

 from its crown several scapes and a cluster of leaves, these spatulate to cuneate, 

 5-15 cm. long, the petioles broad and scarious-margined; scapes about as long 

 as the leaves, bearing 2 or more opposite or alternate narrow bracts; racemes 

 one-sided; sepals oblong; petals pink, 6-8 mm. long. 



High mountains, in the crevices of rocks. Mount Stuart, Elmer; Mount 

 Jefferson, Oregon, Gorman. 



Claytonia asarifolia Bong. Perennial, with short rootstocks, somewhat 

 tufted; stems 15-30 cm. tall, bearing a single pair of leaves below the inflores- 

 cence; leaves rather fleshy, broadly ovate, somewhat cordate, obtuse, 2-3 cm. 

 long, the cauline sessile, the radical slender- petioled; raceme peduncled, 3-12- 



