Minuartia howellii
Encyclopedia
Minuartia howellii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common names Howell's stitchwort and Howell's sandwort. It is native to the Klamath Mountains
of southern Oregon
and northern California
, where it grows in serpentine soil
s in chaparral
and woodland habitat. It is a slightly hairy annual herb growing to a maximum height of 30 centimeters with a slender green stem which turns purple with age. The thin, rigid, almost needlelike leaves are linear or narrowly lance-shaped, up to 1.5 centimeters long and under 2 millimeters wide. The tiny flower has five white petals each a few millimeters long and smaller, ribbed sepal
s.
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 Howell's stitchwort and Howell's sandwort. It is native to the Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
of southern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and northern 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 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 in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and woodland habitat. It is a slightly hairy annual herb growing to a maximum height of 30 centimeters with a slender green stem which turns purple with age. The thin, rigid, almost needlelike leaves are linear or narrowly lance-shaped, up to 1.5 centimeters long and under 2 millimeters wide. The tiny flower has five white petals each a few millimeters long and smaller, ribbed 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.