''Lithophragma parviflorum'' is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common name smallflower woodland star. It is native to much of western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, where it grows in several types of open habitat. It is a

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

perennial herb growing erect or leaning with a naked flowering stem. The leaves are mainly located low on the stem, each cut into three lobes or divided into three lobed leaflets. The stem bears up to 14 flowers, each in a cuplike calyx of red or green

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s. The five petals are bright white, up to 1.6 centimeters long, and usually divided into three toothlike lobes. Its bulblets may produce toxins capable of poisoning livestock, although rodents eat them with no known adverse effects.

Varieties

The Flora of North America North of Mexico considers ''L. parviflorum'' var. ''trifoliatum'' to be a separate species endemic to California. But the

Jepson Manual ''The Jepson Manual'' is a flora of the vascular plants that are either native to or naturalized in California. Botanists often refer to the book simply as ''Jepson''. It is produced by the University and Jepson Herbaria, of the University of Cal ...

considers it to be a variety of ''L. parviflorum''. *''L. parviflorum'' var. ''parviflorum'' - occurs in the western US and Canada * ''L. parviflorum'' var. ''trifoliatum'' - a restricted variety endemic to California. Differs by having pink, fragrant flowers.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
parviflorum {{Saxifragales-stub