Tofieldia pusilla

Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 01/14/2012 - 10:41

As I labour at relabelling my old photos, it occurs to me that I have come across Tofieldia in the mountains. Here is Tofieldia pusilla growing in the gravelly roadside north of Lake Louise in Banff N.P..
Regrettably bad photos (with the camera shutter not opening completely, in addition to the crummy focus; the camera packed it in entirely later that day), but the lack of glutinous stalks can be made out. That and the miniscule size distinguish it from T. glutinosa.

More about Tofieldia spp. in the wild and in the garden here:
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=616.0

Comments


Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 01/14/2012 - 11:16

Ah! This one is not uncommon in the mountains here either! One that I always love to find. if you find this one it is a token you have to look out for other gems as well!


Submitted by RickR on Sat, 01/14/2012 - 11:37

Another tiny one!
I see it is native in northeast Minnesota, though I have never seen it.  Many prairie and alpine species find refuge in our norhtern mixed coniferous forests among the rock outcrops.


Submitted by Boland on Sat, 01/14/2012 - 15:05

Often overlooked...I don't recall seeing it in the Rockies.  I think T. glutinosa is more common here but you can certainly find pusilla is the right spots.  Here it prefers wet meadows over limestone.