Rhodiola integrifolia | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Saxifragales |
Family: | Crassulaceae |
Genus: | Rhodiola |
Species: | R. integrifolia
|
Binomial name | |
Rhodiola integrifolia | |
Subspecies [2] | |
| |
Synonyms | |
List
|
Rhodiola integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names ledge stonecrop, [3] western roseroot, and king's crown. It is native to north-easternmost Russia, including Kamchatka, and western North America, where it grows in mountainous habitat in subalpine and alpine climates, including meadows, cliffs, and talus. It is a perennial herb producing a stout stem from a fleshy, branching caudex, reaching a maximum height near 30 centimeters. The fleshy leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, widely lance-shaped to oval and pointed, flat but upcurved toward the tip, reaching 2.5 centimeters long. They are green when new and age to orange, rose, or red. The inflorescence is a dense cyme of up to 50 flowers with fleshy petals in shades of bright red to deep purple. The fruits are red, rounded ovals with pointed tips. [4]
There are several subspecies of this plant, with one, ssp. leedyi, very rare and limited to a few populations in Minnesota and upstate New York. [5] This subspecies is considered a relict from times when its range was covered in glaciers; it survives on barren cliffs which are kept cold by air blowing through cracks from caves. [5] It is treated as a federally listed threatened species in the United States. In 2024, a team at Cornell University successfully established a population of the plants in a nearby canyon, helping to prevent the plant from becoming extinct. [6]
Rhodiola integrifolia | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Saxifragales |
Family: | Crassulaceae |
Genus: | Rhodiola |
Species: | R. integrifolia
|
Binomial name | |
Rhodiola integrifolia | |
Subspecies [2] | |
| |
Synonyms | |
List
|
Rhodiola integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names ledge stonecrop, [3] western roseroot, and king's crown. It is native to north-easternmost Russia, including Kamchatka, and western North America, where it grows in mountainous habitat in subalpine and alpine climates, including meadows, cliffs, and talus. It is a perennial herb producing a stout stem from a fleshy, branching caudex, reaching a maximum height near 30 centimeters. The fleshy leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, widely lance-shaped to oval and pointed, flat but upcurved toward the tip, reaching 2.5 centimeters long. They are green when new and age to orange, rose, or red. The inflorescence is a dense cyme of up to 50 flowers with fleshy petals in shades of bright red to deep purple. The fruits are red, rounded ovals with pointed tips. [4]
There are several subspecies of this plant, with one, ssp. leedyi, very rare and limited to a few populations in Minnesota and upstate New York. [5] This subspecies is considered a relict from times when its range was covered in glaciers; it survives on barren cliffs which are kept cold by air blowing through cracks from caves. [5] It is treated as a federally listed threatened species in the United States. In 2024, a team at Cornell University successfully established a population of the plants in a nearby canyon, helping to prevent the plant from becoming extinct. [6]