Boykinia rotundifolia
Encyclopedia
Boykinia rotundifolia is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family
known by the common name roundleafed brookfoam. It is endemic to southern California
, where it grows in shady forested areas near streams in the mountains. It is a rhizomatous
perennial herb producing leaves with blades up to 30 centimeters long, borne on petioles
up to 18 centimeters in length. Each leaf has several rounded lobes with dull teeth along the edges. The inflorescence
reaches up to a meter tall on a thin stem. It bears a dense array of many small white flowers, each with five tiny pointed sepal
s and five larger oval petals.
Saxifragaceae
Saxifragaceae is a plant family with about 460 known species in 36 genera. In Europe there are 12 genera.The flowers are hermaphroditic and actinomorphic...
known by the common name roundleafed brookfoam. It is endemic to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in shady forested areas near streams in the mountains. It is a rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb producing leaves with blades up to 30 centimeters long, borne on petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
up to 18 centimeters in length. Each leaf has several rounded lobes with dull teeth along the edges. The inflorescence
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
reaches up to a meter tall on a thin stem. It bears a dense array of many small white flowers, each with five tiny pointed sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and five larger oval petals.