Eritrichium nanum
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eritrichium nanum, the arctic alpine forget-me-not[1] or king-of-the-Alps,[2] is a circumpolar alpine cushion plant which occurs in the European Alps and the North American Rocky Mountains.
| Eritrichium nanum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Eritrichium nanum growing in the Grandes Rousses, Oisans, France | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Eritrichium |
| Species: | E. nanum |
| Binomial name | |
| Eritrichium nanum (L.) Schrad. ex Gaudin | |
Description
This cushion plant grows up to 10 centimetres (4 in) tall. It forms tufts of lanceolate leaves up to 1.5 centimetres (1⁄2 in) long.[3] Blooming from June to August, the deep blue corollas are five-lobed and funnel-shaped; five yellow pads surround the inner tube opening. The fruit is divided into four nutlets.[3]
Eritrichium nanum var. aretioides in Alaska
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Similar species
Eritrichium howardii is similar, but has hairs dense enough to cover the leaves.[3]
Distribution and habitat
The plant occurs in the European Alps and western North America from Alaska and along the Rocky Mountains to Oregon, Montana and New Mexico.[3] It grows at elevations of 10,000 feet in an environment of acid rocks, snow gullies and receding glaciers.
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