North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Micranthes virginiensis

Micranthes virginiensis (Michx.) Small

early saxifrage

Image ID: 19383
Image by: Stuart, Will
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: MIVI7
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Micranthes virginiensis
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-01-11

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE:
GENUS SCIENTIFIC:
GENUS AUTHORITY:
GENUS COMMON:
GENUS SUMMARY:
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES:

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: SAXIFR
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Saxifragaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Saxifrage Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: If narrowly circumscribed (as here), a family of about 35 genera and 500-650 species, herbs (mianly perennial), nearly cosmopolitan, but especially diverse in warm temperate and cold temperate regions of North America and Eurasia. The circumscription of a much narrower Saxifragacaeae is clearly warranted, based on a wide variety of data, and strongly corroborated by molecular data (Morgan & Soltis 1993 and many later references).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Wells & Elvander in FNA (2009); Spongberg (1972); Morgan & Soltis (1993); Soltis in Kubitzki, Bayer, & Stevens (2007). [also see GROSSULARIACEAE, HYDRANGEACEAE, ITEACEAE, PARNASSIACEAE, and PENTHORACEAE]

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect, rosette-forming perennial found on rock outcrops, moist alluvial and slope forests and stream banks.
STEMS: Flowering stems arising from a basal rosette, stout, branched above, with a few bracts, sticky-hairy.
LEAVES: Leaves basal, on widened petioles edged with hairs, oval to spoon-shaped, 1/2-3 in. long, bluntly toothed, fleshy, often purplish-red beneath, smooth or hairy.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in a compact, sticky-hairy terminal panicle that elongates with age; white; about 1/3 in. wide; consisting of 5 spreading, oval petals, 10 yellow-tipped stamens and a 2-lobed ovary.
FRUITS: Fruit a 2-parted, teardrop-shaped capsule.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 4-18 in.

DURATION:
HABIT:

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Basal
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: Feb-Jun

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands, Moist forests, Outcrops and glades
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
78	HORT	2009-04-29	Poythress	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
75	2013-0023	2013-11-27	78	View
4283	1992-0439			View
5844	1995-0972			View
6304	1995-1436			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
95	75	18	Liloia	2013-11-21	View
96	75	16	Liloia	2014-03-18	View
98	75	12	Liloia	2014-03-18	View
6611	4283	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
8359	5844	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
8959	6304	2	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: MIVI7
USDA Common Name:
Native Status:
Distribution:
Duration:
Growth Habit:

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC				FAC			FACU	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Micranthes virginiensis
COMMON NAME: Early Saxifrage
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, Mo, S, Va, Z; = Saxifraga virginiensis Michaux - C, F, G, GW, Pa, RAB, W, WV; > S. virginiensis var. virginiensis - K]
PHENOLOGY: Feb-Jun.
HABITAT: Rock outcrops, moist alluvial and slope forests, streambanks, riverbanks.
COMMENTS: NB west to MB, south to c. GA, LA, and AR.
RANGE MAP: Micranthes virginiensis.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Saxifragaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Saxifrage Family)
SUMMARY: If narrowly circumscribed (as here), a family of about 35 genera and 500-650 species, herbs (mianly perennial), nearly cosmopolitan, but especially diverse in warm temperate and cold temperate regions of North America and Eurasia. The circumscription of a much narrower Saxifragacaeae is clearly warranted, based on a wide variety of data, and strongly corroborated by molecular data (Morgan & Soltis 1993 and many later references).
REFERENCE: Wells & Elvander in FNA (2009); Spongberg (1972); Morgan & Soltis (1993); Soltis in Kubitzki, Bayer, & Stevens (2007). [also see GROSSULARIACEAE, HYDRANGEACEAE, ITEACEAE, PARNASSIACEAE, and PENTHORACEAE]

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
()
SUMMARY:
REFERENCE:

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Micranthes virginiensis in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Micranthes virginiensis in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Micranthes virginiensis in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Micranthes virginiensis in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Micranthes virginiensis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Micranthes virginiensis

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 19383 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 22241 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 22235 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)