| Lewisia columbiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| var. columbiana | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Montiaceae |
| Genus: | Lewisia |
| Species: | L. columbiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Lewisia columbiana | |
Lewisia columbiana, the Columbian lewisia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae. It is native to the western United States and British Columbia, where it grows in rocky mountain habitats.
Description
This herbaceous perennial grows from a short, thick taproot and caudex unit. It produces a basal rosette of many thick, fleshy, tapering, blunt-tipped or pointed leaves with smooth edges, each 2 to 10 centimeters long. The inflorescence arises on several stems up to about 30 centimeters tall, each stem bearing an array of up to 100 flowers each. Just under the flower are small, pointed bracts tipped with shiny spherical resin glands. The flower has 4 to 11 petals, each up to about a centimeter in length and oval in shape with a notched tip. The petals are white to pale pink, usually with sharp dark pink veining.
Habitat
Lewisia columbiana grows on rocks or in gravel or rocky soil, usually in full sun. Though it grows on a variety of rock types, it is tolerant of serpentine rock.
Gallery
Lewisia columbiana on serpentine
Flower closeup
Flower bract with glands
External links
