Rhodiola integrifolia is a species of flowering plant in the stonecrop family known by the common names ledge stonecrop,[3] 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.[4]

Rhodiola integrifolia

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Rhodiola
Species:
R. integrifolia
Binomial name
Rhodiola integrifolia
Subspecies[2]
  • Rhodiola integrifolia subsp. integrifolia
  • Rhodiola integrifolia subsp. leedyi (Rosend. & J.W.Moore) H.Ohba
  • Rhodiola integrifolia subsp. neomexicana (Britton) Kartesz
Synonyms
List
    • Rhodiola rosea subsp. integrifolia (Raf.) Kozhevn. (1981)
    • Rhodiola rosea var. integrifolia (Raf.) Jeps. (1925)
    • Rhodiola rosea subsp. integrifolia (Raf.) H.Hara (1952)
    • Sedum integrifolium (Raf.) A.Nelson (1909)
    • Sedum rosea subsp. integrifolium (Raf.) Hultén (1945)
    • Sedum rosea var. integrifolium (Raf.) A.Berger (1930)
    • Tolmachevia integrifolia (Raf.) Á.Löve & D.Löve (1975)

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.[5] 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.[5] 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.[6]

References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (2024). "Rhodiola integrifolia". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Rhodiola integrifolia Raf". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  3. ^ NRCS. "Rhodiola integrifolia". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  4. ^ Elizabeth Wenk (2015). Wildflowers of the High Sierra and John Muir Trail. Wilderness Press. ISBN 978-0-89997-738-6.
  5. ^ a b Center for Plant Conservation Archived 29 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Hooper, Anna (13 January 2024). "Cascadilla Gorge offers a safe haven for rare species". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
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Rhodiola integrifolia, top view of clump
 
Rhodiola integrifolia, closeup of flowerhead in fruit