''Lewisia maguirei'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name Maguire's lewisia, or Maguire's bitterroot. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where it is known only from eastern Nye County.

Description

This is a perennial herb growing at ground level, the stem no more than 2 centimeters long. It grows from a taproot. The fleshy lance-shaped leaves are 1 or 2 centimeters long but wither by flowering. The inflorescence contains 2 or 3 flowers. Each flower has 3 or 4 wide white or pinkish sepals and up to 9 white or pink-tinged petals each roughly a centimeter long. Blooming occurs in summer.

Distribution and habitat

It grows on rocky clay and limestone slopes in open pinyon-juniper woodland at elevations around 2240 to 2525 meters. Other plants in the habitat include desert green gentian (''

Frasera albomarginata ''Frasera albomarginata'' (syn. ''Swertia albomarginata'') is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common name desert green gentian, or desert frasera. It is native to the southwestern United States from easternmost C ...

''), Torrey's milkvetch (''

Astragalus calycosus ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to temp ...

''), stemless four-nerved daisy (''

Tetraneuris acaulis ''Tetraneuris acaulis'' is a North American species of flowering plants in the sunflower family.Tetraneuris acaulis'. ITIS.Tetraneuris acaulisLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center'', University of Texas.Hymenoxys acaulis'. ''The Jepson Manual, Univ ...

''), Nevada onion ('' Allium nevadense''), and rock goldenrod (''

Petradoria pumila ''Petradoria'' is a genus of North American subshrubs in the tribe Astereae within the family Asteraceae. ;Species The only known species is ''Petradoria pumila'', known by the common name rock goldenrod. It is native to the western United State ...

'').''Lewisia maguirei''.
The Nature Conservancy.

Conservation

There are only 8 known occurrences of this plant, all within an eight-kilometer radius. It is threatened by poaching, as it is attractive to collectors of alpine plants. Its rugged, high-elevation habitat helps to protect it from other threats.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6537355 maguirei Flora of Nevada Natural history of Nye County, Nevada Endemic flora of the United States Plants described in 1954 Critically endangered flora of the United States