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Mertensia humilis

(Rocky Mountain Bluebells)

Overview

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Threatened

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Rocky Mountain Bluebells

Description

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Family Boraginaceae

Herbs perennial , biennial, or annual , less often lianas, shrubs , or trees , usually bristly or scabrous-pubescent. Leaves simple , exstipulate , alternate, rarely opposite, entire or serrate at margin . Inflorescences often double scorpioid cymes, rarely solitary; bracts present or absent. Flowers bisexual , actinomorphic , rarely zygomorphic. Calyx usually 5-parted or lobed , mostly persistent . Corolla tubular , campanulate , rotate, funnelform , or salverform ; tube appendages 5, rarely more, mostly trapeziform, rarely absent, sometimes a ring of hairs present; limb usually 5-parted; lobes overlapping, rarely twisted in bud. Stamens 5, inserted on corolla tube or rarely at throat , included or rarely exserted; anthers introrse , 2-loculed, usually dorsifixed at base , less often medifixed , dehiscence longitudinal . Nectaries at base of corolla tube or on disc below ovary. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate; locules 2 and each with 2 ovules, or 4 and each with 1 ovule; ovules nearly atropous , semianatropous, or anatropous . Style terminal or gynobasic , branched or not. Gynobase flat, fastigiate , or subulate . Fruit 1-4-seeded drupes or nutlets (mericarps) ; nutlets mostly dry, often ornamented with wings , prickles and/or glochids (stiff bristles with barbed or anchorlike tips ) . Seeds vertical or oblique , coat membranous; embryo straight, less often curved ; cotyledons flat, fleshy .

About 156 genera and 2500 species: temperate and tropical regions , centered in the Mediterranean region; 47 genera and 294 species in China, of which four genera and 156 species are endemic.[1]

Genus Mertensia

Herbs perennial , glabrous or pubescent , with thin rhizomes. Basal leaves usually withering early, ovate ; stem leaves alternate. Cymes terminal , several flowered, becoming racemelike, ebracteate . Flowers pedicellate . Calyx 5-cleft or 5-parted, shorter than corolla tube ; lobes lanceolate to ovate, not changing much in fruit. Corolla funnelform , usually sky blue or blue; throat with transverse folds or scalelike appendages ; lobes spreading , ovate to oblong or semiorbicular, apex obtuse . Stamens inserted between appendages or slightly below; filaments short, filiform or ligulate ; anthers oblong to ovate, longer than filaments, exserted. Ovary 4-parted. Style filiform, exserted from corolla. Gynobase conical . Nutlets tetrahedral , glabrous; adaxially sharp, sometimes nearly winged on keel; abaxially convex , wrinkled, tuberculate , rarely narrowly winged along margin ; attachment scar at base adaxially.

About 15 species: Asia, E and NW Europe, North America; six species in China.[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Forb/herb

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Mertensia Alpina Humilis

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Mertensia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 36 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

M. alpina (Alpine Bluebells) · M. arizonica (Arizona Bluebells) · M. bakeri var. bakeri (Baker's Bluebells) · M. bella (Beautiful Bluebells) · M. brevistyla (Short-Style Bluebells) · M. campanulata (Bell-Flowered Bluebells) · M. ciliata (Mountain Bluebell) · M. ciliata (James ex Torr.) G.Don var. stomatechoides (Tall Fringe Bluebells) · M. ciliata var. ciliata (Tall Fringe Bluebells) · M. ciliata var. stomatechoides (Tall Fringed Bluebells) · M. drummondii (Drummond Bluebell) · M. franciscana (Franciscan Bluebell) · M. humilis (Rocky Mountain Bluebells) · M. lanceolata (Lanceleaf Bluebells) · M. lanceolata var. brachyloba (Prairie Bluebells) · M. lanceolata var. coriacea (Prairie Bluebells) · M. lanceolata var. lanceolata (Prairie Bluebells) · M. lanceolata var. secundorum (Prairie Bluebells) · M. longiflora (Long-Flower Bluebells) · M. macdougalii (Macdougal's Bluebells) · M. maritima (Gray Oysterleaf) · M. maritima asiatica (Oysterleaf) · M. maritima var. asiatica (Oysterleaf) · M. maritima var. maritima (Oysterleaf) · M. oblongifolia (Languid-Lady) · M. paniculata (Chiming Bells) · M. paniculata var. alaskana (Alaska Tall Bluebells) · M. paniculata var. borealis (Northern Bluebells) · M. paniculata var. eastwoodiae (Eastwood's Bluebells) · M. paniculata var. paniculata (Tall Bluebells) · M. platyphylla (Broad-Leaf Bluebells) · M. platyphylla var. platyphylla (Broadleaf Bluebells) · M. platyphylla var. subcordata (Beebalm) · M. pterocarpa var. yezoensis (Japanese Bluebells) · M. umbratilis (Shade Bluebells) · M. virginica (Lungwort Oysterleaf)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 20, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Gelin Zhu, Harald Riedl & Rudolf V. Kamelin "Boraginaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 329. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Mertensia". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 375. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012