Montia vassilievii ssp. vassilievii (Kuzen.) McNeill Synonyms: bostockii, Montia bostockii

Global Distribution: Amphi-Beringian.

Alaska Distribution: Arctic Tundra, Intermontane Boreal, Alaska Range Transition, Coastal Mountains Transition, Coastal Rainforests.

Ecoregions Occupied: Brooks Foothills, Yukon-Tanana Uplands, Alaska Range, Wrangell Mountains, Kluane Ranges, Chugach- St. Elias Mountains.

Conservation Status: S3Q GNRTNR; BLM Sensitive.

Description24, 25, 129

1 cm

Inflorescence subtended by a single bract Basal leaves slightly fleshy, petiolate Stolons long with Stem leaves alternate many leaves

Illustration by Anne-Lillian Schell 171

Montia vassilievii ssp. vassilievii

General: Perennial herb from rhizomes or stolons, rooting at nodes; stems erect, 5 to 15 cm tall.

Leaves: Basal leaves 2 to 40 mm long, 0.5 to 2 mm wide, linear- oblanceolate, slightly fleshy, petiolate; stem leaves 1 to 3, linear to narrowly oblong, alternate, arising from one side of the stem.

Flowers: Flowers 1 to 12 subtended by a single bract; bracts linear to oblanceolate, 10 mm long, 2 mm wide; sepals 2, broadly ovate, rose-colored, 3.5 to 6 mm long; petals 5, 10 to 15 mm long, white or pink with pink veins, sometimes with yellow blotches at base.

Fruits: Seeds 0.8 to 1.5 mm wide, tuberculate.

© Forrest Baldwin 1990

Ecology

Elevation: Known from 700 m to 1,900 m in Alaska.48, 49

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Montia vassilievii ssp. vassilievii

Landform: Alpine slopes, alpine benches, alpine ridges, lake shores, frost boils, rock outcrops, seepage slopes, stream banks.48

Soil Type: Organic soils.

Moisture regime: Usually wet to moist; less commonly mesic.

Slope: Flat to slopes of at least 10°.

Aspect: Often north to east to south; less commonly west-facing aspects.

Vegetation type: Sedge-shrub tundra, sedge-Dryas tundra, Dryas tundra, forb-dwarf willow tundra, graminoid-forb tundra, tussock tundra, sedge meadow, white spruce woodland, black spruce muskeg;48, 49 often associated with mossy microsites.

Associated : Arctous alpina, Betula nana, Carex bigelowii, Dryas integrifolia, Equisetum arvense, Eriophorum spp., Salix spp.

Longevity: Perennial, longevity unknown.

Phenology: Flowering early June through mid-August.

Population estimate: There are 29 known occurrences in Alaska; population sizes range from few scattered individuals to locally abundant.

Similar Species24, 25, 129

Material from North America has been previously referred to as Claytonia bostockii or Montia bostockii but belongs with Montia vassilievii, known from the Russian Far East. The North American may deserve treatment as a separate subspecies rather than within ssp. vassilievii.42 The table below shows the morphological features that distinguish Montia vassilievii ssp. vassilievii from superficially similar Claytonia species that occur in eastern Alaska.

Species Stolons Stem Leaves Inflorescence Montia vassilievii Stolons long with Subtended by a single Alternate ssp. vassilievii many leaves bract Claytonia Subtended by a pair of Rhizomes only Opposite sarmentosa opposite leaves Claytonia Stolons present, less Subtended by a pair of Opposite scammaniana leafy opposite leaves

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Montia vassilievii ssp. vassilievii

1 cm

ALA 135572

174