Mountain marsh-marigold, alpine white marsh-marigold, elkslip • Caltha leptosepala
Photos by Kira Hoffman (bottom left) and Brian Starzomski.
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Identification
Mountain marsh-marigold is a perennial buttercup species. It is fleshy, has solitary flowering stems, and grows 5-40 cm tall. Its leaves are thick, waxy, and egg, oblong-egg, or circular in shape. The leaf edges can be toothed, scalloped, or almost toothless. They grow on long stalks, and are mostly basal. The flowers occur singly or in groups of up to 4. They are saucer-shaped and white or cream, sometimes with a greenish or yellow tinge. The undersides of the sepals are bluish.
There are two varieties in BC: var. leptosepala and var. biflora. These are sometimes classified as two different species. Differences are listed on the E-Flora species page.
Habitat & Range
Mountain marsh-marigold grows in bogs, fens, the edges of streams and pools, in wet to moist meadows, seepage sites, and snowbeds. It is found from low to alpine elevations and is a common species in most of BC. Its range covers much of western North America.
The two varieties have different distributions in BC - var. biflora is found in more western regions of the province, whereas var. leptosepala is found throughout much of the province except Haida Gwaii and the adjacent mainland.
Similar Species
The leaves of mountain marsh-marigold could be confused with those of deer-cabbage (Fauria crista-galli), which does co-occur relatively frequently with deer-cabbage. Mountain marsh-marigold leaves vary from egg-shaped (var. leptosepala) to nearly circular (var. biflora), with leaf lobe edges often touching or overlapping. The lobe edges of deer-cabbage leaves usually do not touch — although leaf crowding may squish the leaves into overlapping.
Intriguing Info
Mountain marsh-marigold is an early flowering species in alpine locations. There it blooms as the snow melts, or immediately after.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64445-Caltha-leptosepala
Mountain marsh-marigold is a perennial buttercup species. It is fleshy, has solitary flowering stems, and grows 5-40 cm tall. Its leaves are thick, waxy, and egg, oblong-egg, or circular in shape. The leaf edges can be toothed, scalloped, or almost toothless. They grow on long stalks, and are mostly basal. The flowers occur singly or in groups of up to 4. They are saucer-shaped and white or cream, sometimes with a greenish or yellow tinge. The undersides of the sepals are bluish.
There are two varieties in BC: var. leptosepala and var. biflora. These are sometimes classified as two different species. Differences are listed on the E-Flora species page.
Habitat & Range
Mountain marsh-marigold grows in bogs, fens, the edges of streams and pools, in wet to moist meadows, seepage sites, and snowbeds. It is found from low to alpine elevations and is a common species in most of BC. Its range covers much of western North America.
The two varieties have different distributions in BC - var. biflora is found in more western regions of the province, whereas var. leptosepala is found throughout much of the province except Haida Gwaii and the adjacent mainland.
Similar Species
The leaves of mountain marsh-marigold could be confused with those of deer-cabbage (Fauria crista-galli), which does co-occur relatively frequently with deer-cabbage. Mountain marsh-marigold leaves vary from egg-shaped (var. leptosepala) to nearly circular (var. biflora), with leaf lobe edges often touching or overlapping. The lobe edges of deer-cabbage leaves usually do not touch — although leaf crowding may squish the leaves into overlapping.
Intriguing Info
Mountain marsh-marigold is an early flowering species in alpine locations. There it blooms as the snow melts, or immediately after.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64445-Caltha-leptosepala
References
Caltha leptosepala DC. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 02/05/2014.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2013). Alpine plants of British Columbia, Alberta, & Northwest North America. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 185.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Caltha leptosepala DC. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 02/05/2014.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2013). Alpine plants of British Columbia, Alberta, & Northwest North America. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 185.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).