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Diapensia
Diapensia lapponica var. obovata
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An evergreen dwarf shrub growing on alpine rocky outcrops and gravel slopes. It produces dense clusters of small white flowers, and the small leaves are tightly packed. It is a cushion plant distributed in alpine and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Identification Points
- ✓Small glossy leaves densely packed into a cushion form
- ✓White five-petaled flowers on short stalks
- ✓Grows on alpine rocky outcrops, ridgelines, and gravel slopes
Habitat
Alpine rocky outcrops, ridgelines, and gravel slopes
Season
June–July (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Shrub
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Habitat
Mountain
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Free
Stipules
Absent
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Stamen count
5
Phylogenetic Positionイワウメ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Ericales > Diapensiaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 45 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Diapensiaceae has a disjunct distribution in alpine and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, representing an ancient lineage adapted to harsh polar environments.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification