Scopulophila rixfordii
Encyclopedia
Scopulophila rixfordii is a species of flowering plant in the pink family
known by the common name Rixford's rockwort. It is native to the deserts of eastern California
, Nevada
, and probably Arizona
, where it grows in rocky habitat, including sheer limestone
cliffs and canyons. It produces a branching stem 10 to 30 centimeters long which anchors to its substrate by a taproot
. It has areas of woolly fibers on the stem but is mostly hairless. There are small, fleshy green leaves with linear or lance-shaped blades oppositely arranged along the stem. Each is accompanied by a small, pointed stipule
. Flowers occur in the leaf axils and are solitary or arranged in small clusters. The flowers have no petals but thin white sepal
s with thin membranous edges.
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 name Rixford's rockwort. It is native to the deserts of eastern 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...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and probably Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where it grows in rocky habitat, including sheer limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliffs and canyons. It produces a branching stem 10 to 30 centimeters long which anchors to its substrate by a 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...
. It has areas of woolly fibers on the stem but is mostly hairless. There are small, fleshy green leaves with linear or lance-shaped blades oppositely arranged along the stem. Each is accompanied by a small, pointed stipule
Stipule
In botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
. Flowers occur in the leaf axils and are solitary or arranged in small clusters. The flowers have no petals but thin white 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 with thin membranous edges.