Rhodiola integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names ledge stonecrop,[3] 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.[4]
| Rhodiola integrifolia | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Crassulaceae |
| Genus: | Rhodiola |
| Species: | R. integrifolia
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| Binomial name | |
| Rhodiola integrifolia | |
| Subspecies[2] | |
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| Synonyms | |
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List
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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.[5] 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.[5] It is treated as a federally listed threatened species in the United States. In 2024, a team at Cornell University successfully established a population of the plants in a nearby canyon, helping to prevent the plant from becoming extinct.[6]
References
edit- ^ NatureServe (2024). "Rhodiola integrifolia". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ "Rhodiola integrifolia Raf". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Rhodiola integrifolia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- ^ Elizabeth Wenk (2015). Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail. Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-738-6.
- ^ a b Center for Plant Conservation Archived 29 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hooper, Anna (13 January 2024). "Cascadilla Gorge offers a safe haven for rare species". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
External links
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- Jepson Manual Treatment
- Washington Burke Museum
- Photo gallery
- Flora of the U.S.S.R. (as R. atropurpurea)
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