Micranthes tolmiei

Tolmie's saxifrage

Family: Saxifragaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Tolmie's saxifrage is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, California Ranges, and Sierra Nevada Mountains in alpine tundra and fell-fields at elevations above 2,000 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces small white flowers in dense head-like clusters with linear to oblanceolate petals 2.5 to 5 millimeters long. Growing with slender, partially woody stems that trail along the ground, it forms compact clusters with fleshy, elliptic or obovate leaves 8 to 15 millimeters long. Its leaves are sessile, crowded along the stem, and remain entirely intact, creating a dense mat-like growth pattern. The plant's distinctive flower structure features widely spreading sepals and filaments that are significantly widened except near the base and tip.

Habitat: Alpine tundra, fell-fields

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: > 2000 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRH, CaRH, SNH

California counties: Amador, El Dorado, Madera, Placer, Siskiyou, Shasta, Trinity, Tuolumne, Fresno, Inyo, Mono, Tulare, Mariposa, Lassen, Alpine

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.