Common name:
Short-sepal bitterroot
Family:
Scientific name:
Lewisia brachycalyx
Main flower color:
Range:
North Arizona, far southwest Utah and a small part of south California
Height:
Up to 2 inches
Habitat:
Open woodland, moist meadows, seeps; often sandy locations, from 4,500 to 8,000 feet
Leaves:
Thick, oblanceolate, up to 3 inches long
Season:
February to June
The hairless leaves of lewisia brachycalyx grow only at the base, where they form a rosette; they are fleshy, wider above the middle, and blunt at the tip. Plants produce one to several stems, at most 2 inches tall, each topped by one flower, beneath which are two broad, light green, sepal-like bracts. Leaves wither during or immediately after the flowering phase.
Flowers consist of two sepals (arranged between the bracts), a third to a half as long as the corolla, and between five and nine obovate petals, white or pale pink, often crossed by darker lengthwise pink veins. At the center are between nine and 15 stamens, with white filaments and yellow anthers, and between five and eight stigmas.
Flowers consist of two sepals (arranged between the bracts), a third to a half as long as the corolla, and between five and nine obovate petals, white or pale pink, often crossed by darker lengthwise pink veins. At the center are between nine and 15 stamens, with white filaments and yellow anthers, and between five and eight stigmas.
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