Micranthes petiolaris

Micranthes petiolaris, commonly known as cliff saxifrage, is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family. It is native to the Southern Appalachian Mountains where it is found on exposed boulders and rocky seeps, often at high elevation.[1] It is a perennial that produces small white flowers with yellow spots in the summer.

Micranthes petiolaris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Saxifragaceae
Genus: Micranthes
Species:
M. petiolaris
Binomial name
Micranthes petiolaris
Synonyms

Hydatica petiolaris
Saxifraga michauxii

Recent genetic studies have shown is more closely related to arctic species of Micranthes than to the other species of the Southern Appalachians. This indicates that it did not evolve within the other southern Micranthes, but migrated to the southern Appalachians from the north, possibly during glacial periods.[2]

References
  1. Flora of North America
  2. A systematic study of the flowering plant genus Micranthes (Saxifragaceae) in the southern Appalachians Lanning, 2009


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