Claytonia palustris is a species of wildflower in the family Montiaceae known by the common names Jonesville springbeauty and marsh claytonia. Often mistaken for Claytonia sibirica, the species is diploid (2n = 12) with a chromosome base number of x = 6. [1]
The wildflower is endemic to California where it is a rare species indigenous to wetlands including bogs, fens, meadows and streamside riparian thickets at low- to mid-elevations of the Klamath Mountains, Cascade Range, and Sierra Nevada as far south as the Kern and Tule River watersheds. [2] The species epithet palustris is Latin for "of the marsh" and indicates its common habitat. [3]
Claytonia palustris is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing a slender stem up to about 0.5m (01.6feet) long. It has leaves with oval-shaped blades a few centimeters long at the ends of long, narrow petioles. The inflorescence bears up to 18 flowers on a long stalk. Each flower has 5 white or pink-tinted white petals just under a centimeter long. The bloom period is May to October.