Plants perennial, mat-forming. Taproots stout, woody. Stems erect to ascending, green, 3–10 cm, glabrous or sometimes stipitate-glandular, internodes of flowering-stems 1–5 times as long as leaves. Leaves tightly overlapping (vegetative), variably spaced (cauline), usually connate proximally, with tight, scarious to herbaceous sheath 1–1.5 mm; blade straight to outwardly curved, green, flat, 3-veined, often prominently so abaxially, linear to oblong or narrowly lanceolate, 4–14 × 0.5–2 mm, flexuous, margins thickened, ± coriaceous, ciliate, often densely so, apex green, rounded, navicular, shiny, glabrous or essentially so throughout or abaxially, sometimes pubescent adaxially, hairs resembling cilia; axillary leaves present among vegetative leaves. Inflorescences solitary flowers, terminal; bracts linear, herbaceous. Pedicels 0.4–1 cm, usually densely stipitate-glandular. Flowers: hypanthium cupshaped; sepals prominently 3-veined proximally, lanceolate to oblong (herbaceous portion often purple, lanceolate to oblong), 4.5–6 mm, to 9 mm in fruit, apex often purple, rounded, hooded, stipitate-glandular; petals broadly obovate, 1.2–1.6 times as long as sepals, apex blunt or rounded, entire. Capsules narrowly ellipsoid, 10–18 mm, longer than sepals. Seeds redbrown to brown, orbiculate with radicle prominent and notch filled with papillae, somewhat compressed, 1–1.1 mm (excluding papillae), rounded-tuberculate, ringed with longitudinal, cylindrical, tan papillae 0.5–0.8 mm. 2n = 44 (Russia), 46, 48 (Russia).

Phenology: Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat: Rocky, montane ridges, sandy slopes, well-drained alpine tundra and heathlands
Elevation: 0-2200 m

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

B.C., N.W.T., Yukon, Alaska, Asia (Japan), Asia (Russian Far East), Asia (Siberia)

Discussion

An amphi-Beringian species, Minaurtia macrocarpa is easily distinguished by having the largest capsules of any North American Minuartia.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.