''Sibbaldia procumbens'' (or creeping sibbaldia) is a species of flowering plant of the genus ''
Sibbaldia'' in the
rose family.
It has an
Arctic–alpine distribution; it can be found throughout the
Arctic
The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...
, as well as at higher elevations in the mountains of Eurasia and North America. It grows on
tundra
In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...
and in
alpine climate
Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate.
Definition
There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...
s where snow remains year-round, and on
subalpine mountain slopes. This is a low, mat-forming perennial herb producing clumps of herbage in rocky, gravelly substrate. A spreading stem up to 15 centimeters long grows from a
caudex. Each leaf is divided into usually three leaflets borne at the end of a
petiole up to 7 centimeters long. Each wedge-shaped leaflet has three teeth at the tip. The flower has usually five pointed green
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
lets, five wider pointed 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, and five tiny yellowish petals each about a millimeter long. The fruits develop in the remnants of the sepals on erect stalks.
Distribution
The plant has an
Arctic–alpine distribution.
It is found in the
Pyrenees, in places in the
Cantabrians and
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...
of Spain, in the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
, the
Vosges in France, on
Corsica
Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
, in a few locations in the central
Apennines, in the
Tatras on the border of Slovakia and Poland, in Bulgaria's
Rila
Rila (, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an e ...
and
Pirin. In northern Europe, it grows in Scotland, on the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
, Iceland,
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen () is a Norway, Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around the Beerenberg volcano). It has two parts: la ...
and
Svaalbard, throughout the
Scandinavian Mountains, in northern Finland, in the northern
Urals, and along the Arctic coastline of European Russia from the
Kola peninsula
The Kola Peninsula (; ) is a peninsula in the extreme northwest of Russia, and one of the largest peninsulas of Europe. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is border ...
in the west to the
Gulf of Ob in the east.
The plant is also found in extensive areas in some of the Central Asian and South Siberian mountains, including
Tian Shan, the
Tarbagatay,
Altai and
Sayan ranges, and the
Transbaikal highlands. There are occurrences in the mountains of western China (including in the provinces of
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
,
Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
and
Yunnan
Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
), in the
Changbai Mountains on the boundary with Korea, in the
Japanese Alps, on the island of
Sakhalin and in isolated areas on the nearby Russian mainland. It is widely distributed in eastern
Kamchatka
The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively.
Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...
, in
Chukotka, on the
Aleut Islands, in parts of Alaska, and then across the constituent ranges of the
North American Cordillera in western Canada and the United States, its continuous area reaching its southern limits in the
San Bernardino Mountains in California, the
San Francisco Peaks in Arizona and the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish language, Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost mountain range, subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountai ...
of New Mexico, with the species reappearing further south at high altitudes in the
Transvolcanic Belt of central Mexico.
It is also found in the northeast of the continent: in the
White Mountains of New Hampshire, in the
Chic-Choc Mountains of the Gaspé region of Quebec, in the
Long Range Mountains on Newfoundland, and then more sporadically further north in Canada: along the coasts of northern
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
and
Labrador
Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
, in some areas around
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...
and in the south of
Baffin Island. Finally, the plant is also known from both the western and the eastern coastal areas of
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
.
[ ncluding ''Sibbaldia macrophylla'']
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentWashington Burke MuseumPhoto gallery*
{{taxonbar , from=Q3281558
Potentilleae
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus