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. C. lanceolata. 



Caudex elongate; cauline leaves linear-spatulate. C. megarrhiza. 



Perennials or annuals; roots not cormose. 



Stem bearing only two leaves, these opposite. 

 Cauline leaves not united. 



Pedicels mostly bractless; perennial by rootstocks. C. asarifolia. 

 Pedicels mostly with bracts; roots fibrous. C. sibirica. 



Cauline leaves united, at least at base. 



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

 ceolate. C. spathulata. 

 United leaves forming a roundish disk. 



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



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



Stems bearing more than two opposite leaves, or leaves 

 alternate. 

 Cauline leaves of several pairs, opposite. C. chamissoi. 



Cauline leaves alternate. 



Perennial, producing slender stolons; leaves very 



fleshy. C. parvifolia. 



Annual; not stoloniferous; leaves not very fleshy. 



Leaves broad, long-petioled; seeds striate. C. diffusa. 



Leaves narrow, sessile. 



Seeds dull, less than 1 mm. broad. C. dichotoma. 



Seeds shining. 



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

 Petals minute or absent; seeds 1 mm. 



broad. 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- 



