Rhodiola integrifolia

Rhodiola integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names ledge stonecrop,[1] western roseroot, and king's crown. It is native to north-easternmost Russia, including Kamchatka, and western North America, where it grows in mountainous habitat in subalpine and alpine climates, including meadows, cliffs, and talus. It is a perennial herb producing a stout stem from a fleshy, branching caudex, reaching a maximum height near 30 centimeters. The fleshy leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, widely lance-shaped to oval and pointed, flat but upcurved toward the tip, reaching 2.5 centimeters long. They are green when new and age to orange, rose, or red. The inflorescence is a dense cyme of up to 50 flowers with fleshy petals in shades of bright red to deep purple. The fruits are red, rounded ovals with pointed tips.[2]

Rhodiola integrifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Rhodiola
Species:
R. integrifolia
Binomial name
Rhodiola integrifolia
Synonyms

Sedum integrifolium
Sedum rosea

There are several subspecies of this plant, with one, ssp. leedyi, very rare and limited to a few populations in Minnesota and upstate New York.[3] This subspecies is considered a relict from times when its range was covered in glaciers; it survives on barren cliffs which are kept cold by air blowing through cracks from caves.[3] It is treated as a federally listed threatened species in the United States.[3]

References
  1. "Rhodiola integrifolia". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  2. Elizabeth Wenk (2015). Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail. Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-738-6.
  3. Center for Plant Conservation Archived 2010-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
Rhodiola integrifolia, top view of clump
Rhodiola integrifolia, closeup of flowerhead in fruit


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