''Scopulophila rixfordii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactacea ...

known by the common name Rixford's rockwort. The plant is native to the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

of eastern

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 ...

, southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, and probably

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It grows in rocky habitat, including sheer

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cliffs and canyons.

Description

''Scopulophila rixfordii'' produces a branching stem 10 to 30 centimeters long which anchors to its substrate by a taproot. It has areas of woolly fibers on the stem but is mostly hairless. There are small, fleshy green leaves with linear or lance-shaped blades oppositely arranged along the stem. Each is accompanied by a small, pointed stipule. Flowers occur in the leaf axils and are solitary or arranged in small clusters. The flowers have no petals but thin white

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 with thin membranous edges.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Scopulophila rixfordii''USDA Plants Profile for ''Scopulophila rixfordii''Flora of North AmericaUC CalPhotos gallery of ''Scopulophila rixfordii''
Caryophyllaceae Flora of the California desert regions Flora of Arizona Flora of Nevada Natural history of the Mojave Desert Endemic flora of the United States Taxa named by Townshend Stith Brandegee Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Caryophyllaceae-stub