Eritrichium nanum
| Eritrichium nanum | |
|---|---|
| Eritrichium nanum growing in the Grandes Rousses, Oisans, France | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Eritrichium |
| Species: | E. nanum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eritrichium nanum (L.) Schrad. ex Gaudin
| |
Eritrichium nanum, the arctic alpine forget-me-not[1] or king-of-the-Alps,[2] is a circumpolar alpine cushion plant which occurs in the European Alps and the North American Rocky Mountains.
Description
This cushion plant grows up to 10 centimetres (4 in) tall. It forms tufts of lanceolate leaves up to 1.5 centimetres (1⁄2 in) long.[3] Blooming from June to August, the deep blue corollas are five-lobed and funnel-shaped; five yellow pads surround the inner tube opening. The fruit is divided into four nutlets.[3]
-
Eritrichium nanum var. aretioides in Alaska
Similar species
Eritrichium howardii is similar, but has hairs dense enough to cover the leaves.[3]
Distribution and habitat
The plant occurs in the European Alps and western North America from Alaska and along the Rocky Mountains to Oregon, Montana and New Mexico.[3] It grows at elevations of 10,000 feet in an environment of acid rocks, snow gullies and receding glaciers.
References
- ^ NRCS. "Eritrichium nanum". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ a b c d Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. pp. 415–16. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
External links
- Eritrichium nanum King of the Alps at ukwildflowers