Oreomecon pygmaea is a species of poppy known by the common name alpine glacier poppy. It is native to North America, where it can be found in British Columbia, Alberta, and Montana. It has a narrow distribution around the intersection of the three borders. There are about 44 known occurrences, mostly in Montana, with about a third in Alberta and two in British Columbia. It is present in a number of locations within Glacier National Park.Williams, Tara Y. 1990. Papaver pygmaeum. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
This perennial herb produces a stem up to 12 centimeters tall from a taproot. The blue-green leaves are up to 5 centimeters long. The flower is about 2 centimeters wide. The petals are yellow, orange-pink, or orange with a yellow spot. The fruit is a rough-haired capsule about 1.5 centimeters long.Papaver pygmaeum. Flora of North America. Blooming occurs in July and August.
This plant grows in high mountain habitat in alpine climates. It grows on rocky terrain such as talus and fell fields.
Taxonomy Oreomecon pygmaea was scientifically described in 1902 by Per Axel Rydberg and named Papaver pygmaeum. In 2023 it was moved to the genus Oreomecon by Denis A. Krivenko, giving the species its accepted name. The species has three synonyms.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Notes Papaver nudicaule var. pseudocorydalifolium 1909 variety = het. Papaver pygmaeum 1902 species ≡ hom. Papaver radicatum var. pygmaeum 1986 variety = het., nom. illeg. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym ; = heterotypic synonym
References Citations
Sources Web sources