Engellaria
Engellaria obtusa (synonym Stellaria obtusa) is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae[1] known by the common names Rocky Mountain chickweed,[2] blunt-sepaled starwort, and obtuse starwort. It is the sole species in genus Engellaria.[3] It is native to western North America, from British Columbia and Alberta to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist areas in forests and on mountain slopes.
| Engellaria | |
|---|---|
| herbarium specimen | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Caryophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Engellaria Iamonico (2021) |
| Species: | E. obtusa |
| Binomial name | |
| Engellaria obtusa (Engelm.) Iamonico (2021) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
It is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing a prostrate, creeping, branching stem up to about 20 centimeters long, sometimes forming mats. The oval leaves are up to about a centimeter long and are borne in opposite pairs on the stem. Solitary flowers occur in the leaf axils, each borne on a short pedicel. The small flower has no petals, just four to five blunt-tipped green sepals each a few millimeters long.
References
- Engellaria obtusa (Engelm.) Iamonico. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Stellaria obtusa". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- Engellaria Iamonico. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 23 March 2024.