''Montia linearis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Montiaceae Montiaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising about 14 genera with about 230 known species, ranging from small herbaceous plants to shrubs. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution. The family Montiaceae was newly adopted in the APG ...

known by the common names narrowleaf miner's lettuce and narrow-leafed montia. It is native to 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 ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, where it grows in moist to wet areas in a number of habitat types, including forests and meadows, woodlands and grassland. The plant is also known from some areas of the southeastern United States, including

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Description

''Montia linearis'' is a slender, branching annual herb growing to about 25 to 30 centimeters in maximum height. The somewhat fleshy linear leaves are alternately arranged and measure up to 10 centimeters in length. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

bears up to 14 flowers with bases of curving oval 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 petals are roughly half a centimeter long and white or pink-tinged in color.

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Montia linearis''''Montia linearis'' - Photo gallery
linearis Flora of California Flora of the Western United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Caryophyllales-stub