Claytonia rubra

Redstem springbeauty shows a preference for a particular elevation with fewer plants emerging and smaller sizes when planted at different elevations in experiments.

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Claytonia rubra was scientifically described by the botanist Thomas J. Howell and named Montia rubra in 1893. It was given its current name by Ivar Tidestrom in 1925. Together with Claytonia perfoliata and Claytonia parviflora, Claytonia rubra comprises what is almost certainly a polyploid pillar complex based on three diploid species, each occupying a definitive ecological niche. The species is listed as accepted by Plants of the World Online, World Flora Online, and World Plants. However, the status as a species is not without controversy. In 2012 Noel H. Holmgren and co-authors treated two of the three species as C. perfoliata in volume 2, A of Intermountain Flora writing, "The extreme polymorphism of this abundant, often weedy, notoriously difficult species complex defies separation into meaningful infraspecific units, as proposed by Miller and Chambers." John M. Miller and Kenton L. Chambers having published a monograph on Claytonia in 2006 where they had written about C. rubra, "We agree with Tidestrom (1925) that this taxon is distinct from C. perfoliata, although other workers have recognized it as a variety of C. perfoliata." It is classified in the Montiaceae family with the rest of the Claytonia genus. Subspecies There are two accepted subspecies of Claytonia rubra. Claytonia rubra subsp. depressa This subspecies was scientifically described in 1887 by Asa Gray as a variety of Claytonia parviflora with the name Claytonia parviflora var. depressa. This subspecies grows along sandy areas of the Pacific coast as well as with sagebrush in the Channeled Scablands of the Pacific Northwest. It also is found along river banks and in fallow fields. It is generally found at lower elevations than subspecies rubra. Claytonia rubra subsp. rubra. The autonymic subspecies consistently has trowel shaped basal leaves. It grows in somewhat dry conditions in coniferous forests, mainly ponderosa pine forests, but also with Jeffrey pines, Douglas firs, and white firs. They are also found under shrubs in moist mountain canyons in the Intermountain West and in quaking aspen groves. They may also be found on moist slopes at the bases of cliffs or under Great Basin sagebrush bushes. It has a wide elevation range, from as low at 500 meters (1,600 ft) up to 2,500 m (8,200 ft). Synonyms Claytonia rubra has 26 synonyms of the species or one of its two subspecies. Names In English it is known by the similar common names of redstem springbeauty, red-stem springbeauty, and red-stemmed spring-beauty. Alternatively it can be called red miner's lettuce, a common name that indicates the reddish cast of the stems and leaves of this species. It is also occasionally known as erubescent miner's-lettuce.

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