''Calyptridium umbellatum'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Cistanthe umbellata'', is a species of flowering plant in the montia family known by the common name Mount Hood pussypaws or — especially outside the Pacific Northwest — simply pussy-paws.

Range

''Calyptridium umbellatum'' is native to western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, where it grows in a number of habitat types, including areas inhospitable to many other plant types, such as those with

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical weather (climate) for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of ...

s. A small subgroup of ''C. umbellatum'' are located in the

Zayante Sandhills Zayante may refer to several features and localities in Santa Cruz County, California. *Zayante, California, an unincorporated community *Zayante Creek, a tributary of the San Lorenzo River *Rancho Zayante, a former Ranchos of California, Mexican l ...

, a biological island in the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from ...

. These individuals reside on a singular hill in the entirety of the sandhills, and their frail petals and loose seeds allow for easy wind dispersal.

Habit

It is a perennial herb forming generally two or more basal rosettes of thick, spoon-shaped leaves each a few centimeters long. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

arises from the rosette, a dense, spherical

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

of rounded

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s and four small petals. ''C. umbellatum'' usually has only one inflorescence per basal rosette; the related '' C. monospermum'' generally has more than one.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
Montiaceae Plants described in 1853 Flora of Western Canada Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Colorado Flora of Idaho Flora of Montana Flora of Nevada Flora of Oregon Flora of Utah Flora of Washington (state) Flora of Wyoming Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Caryophyllales-stub