Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Bulbous Woodland-star
Lithophragma glabrum
Saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae)

Lithophragma glabrum, Fringecup, is easily distinguished from the other Woodland Star species by the presence of the red to purple bulblets along the stem. The plant often occupies the same habitat as L. parviflorum, and L. tenellum and if you find one, look for the others.


©2011 Matt Lavin

Description

, 4-12" tall, with hairy, , red stems. are divided nearly to base into 3-5 divisions, which are divided again into or segments. Pale pink star-shaped flowers have petals deeply divided into 3-5 . Each cluster of flowers has 2-4 normal flowers, and other flowers reduced to a red "bulblet."

Field Marks

Dainty pink flowers with deeply cleft petals and red bulblets in the flower cluster; leaves with .

© Al Schneider

lobe -- Being divided by clefts.

lobe -- A rounded parts of a leaf (or other organ).

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

basal leaves -- a leaf that grows lowest on the stem of a plant.

Glands are plant structures that secrete liquids, salts or other substances. Glands often appear as hairs with a drop of liquid at the end.

Like the teeth on a saw, leaves and other surfaces can have toothed edges.

palmate -- Consisting of leaflets or lobes radiating from the base of the leaf.

leaflets -- Each little leaf-like thing in a compound leaf is a leaflet.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.