Minuartia decumbens
Encyclopedia
Minuartia decumbens is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common names The Lassics sandwort and Lassicus stitchwort. It is endemic to California
, where it is known from only a single occurrence in the isolated inland mountains of the North Coast Ranges in Trinity County
near the Humboldt County
line. The species was described in 1981 from the type specimen
observed on Mule Ridge in a string of peaks known as The Lassics. It grows in the serpentine soil
s of the mountain forests among Jeffrey Pine
s. This is a low, mat-forming perennial herb growing a in a clump a few centimeters high from a thin, woody taproot
. The narrow, rigid, sometimes needle-like leaves are under a centimeter long and no more than 2 millimeters wide. The tiny flowers have purple-tipped sepal
s a few millimeters long and five white petals which are slightly smaller.
Caryophyllaceae
The 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, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
known by the common names The Lassics sandwort and Lassicus stitchwort. It is endemic to 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 is known from only a single occurrence in the isolated inland mountains of the North Coast Ranges in Trinity County
Trinity County, California
Trinity County is a large, rugged and mountainous, heavily forested county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of California, along the Trinity River and within the Salmon/Klamath Mountains. It covers an area of over two million acres , and as of the 2010 census its population...
near the Humboldt County
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
line. The species was described in 1981 from the type specimen
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
observed on Mule Ridge in a string of peaks known as The Lassics. It grows in the serpentine soil
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
s of the mountain forests among Jeffrey Pine
Jeffrey Pine
The Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi, named in honor of its botanist documenter John Jeffrey, is a North American pine related to Ponderosa Pine.-Distribution and habitat:...
s. This is a low, mat-forming perennial herb growing a in a clump a few centimeters high from a thin, woody taproot
Taproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
. The narrow, rigid, sometimes needle-like leaves are under a centimeter long and no more than 2 millimeters wide. The tiny flowers have purple-tipped 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 a few millimeters long and five white petals which are slightly smaller.