''Micranthes howellii'' (formerly ''Saxifraga howellii'') is a species of

saxifrage ''Saxifraga'' is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 465 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word ''saxifraga'' means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin ' ("rock" or " ...

Malcolm McGregor. ''Saxifrages: A Definitive Guide to the 2000 Species, Hybrids & Cultivars.'' Timber Press, 2008. p. 319. known by the common name Howell's saxifrage.Umberto Quattrocchi. ''CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms. Synonyms, and Etymology.'' CRC Press, 1999. p.2395-2396. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...

of southern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and northern

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 ...

, where it grows in moist, rocky habitat. It is a perennial herb growing from a

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

, usually with a

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

system. It produces a basal rosette of leaves with rounded or oval blades edged with dull or sharp teeth or scalloping. Each leaf is up to 6 centimeters long, thick and fleshy, and borne on a short petiole. 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 on an erect peduncle up to 20 centimeters tall. An array of branches bear several flowers with small white petals.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
howellii Flora of the Klamath Mountains Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Saxifragaceae-stub