Alpine Mountainsorrel

Oxyria digyna

Taxonomy

Division:
Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:
Polygonaceae
Genus:
Oxyria
Species:
Oxyria digyna

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:
Perennial
Growth Habit:
Forb/herb
Height:
1-2 ft
Light Requirements:
Part Shade
Drought Tolerance:
High
Bloom Months:
jun, jul, aug, sep
Bloom Colors:
Red, Green
Ground Cover:
Yes

Native Range

United States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec, Yukon

Host Plant for Caterpillars

Arctic woolly bear moth (Gynaephora groenlandica), American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), Chalceria rubida, Copper (Lycaena cuprea)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:
rocky, nutrient-poor, well-drained soil
pH:
5.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Drainage:
excellent drainage required
Moisture:
consistently moist
Notes:
often found in alpine and arctic regions

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Stratification is not necessary. Seed must be surface sown. Germination is greater in light (surface sown) than dark (covered with mulch).

Establishment: O. digynia is a circumboreal species that occurs in the subalpine and alpine in moist sharply drained sites; Alaska through the Cascades to California, east to Labrador, New Hampshire, and south through the Rockies to New Mexico, also in Eurasia.

Source: npn.rngr.net