| Rhodiola integrifolia | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
 Secure (NatureServe) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Saxifragales |
| Family: | Crassulaceae |
| Genus: | Rhodiola |
| Species: | R. integrifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhodiola integrifolia Raf. | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
List
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Rhodiola integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names ledge stonecrop, 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.
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. 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. 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.
References
- 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.
- NRCS. "Rhodiola integrifolia". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- Elizabeth Wenk (2015). Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail. Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-738-6.
- ^ 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
- Jepson Manual Treatment
- Washington Burke Museum
- Photo gallery
- Flora of the U.S.S.R. (as R. atropurpurea)
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Rhodiola integrifolia |
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