Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Early Saxifrage

Micranthes virginiensis

(Michx.) Small

Early Saxifrage

G5Secure Found in 23 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.138044
Element CodePDSAX0U1X2
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRosales
FamilySaxifragaceae
GenusMicranthes
Synonyms
Saxifraga virginiensis var. virginiensis
Other Common Names
Saxifrage de Virginie (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
The treatment of Micranthes virginiensis recognized by FNA (vol. 8, 2009) excludes Saxifraga virginiensis var. subintegra (including that in Micranthes palmeri). Kartesz's (1994 and 1999) S. virginiensis var. virginiensis is equivalent to M. virginiensis sensu FNA.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-05-23
Change Date2019-04-24
Edition Date2024-05-23
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Micranthes virginiensis is a wide-ranging perennial herb in rocky hillsides and woodlands in northeastern North America from New Brunswick west to Manitoba in Canada south to Georgia west to Louisiana in the United States. Threats include development, recreational activities, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Micranthes virginiensis occurs in northeastern North America from New Brunswick west to Manitoba in Canada south to Georgia west to Louisiana in the United States (FNA 2009). Range extent was estimated to be almost 2.4 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 200 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024), though anecdotal comments support the potnetial that there are over 300 occurrences rangewide.
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, recreational activities, invasive species, and other threats in some places.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Micranthes virginiensis grows in "rocky hillsides, cliffs and shaded rock outcrops, stream banks, wooded slopes" (FNA 2009).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandBare rock/talus/screeCliff
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OklahomaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
MississippiS4Yes
New YorkS5Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
VermontS5Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
IllinoisS2Yes
New JerseyS5Yes
DelawareS3Yes
ArkansasS1Yes
IndianaS3Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
South CarolinaS4Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
LouisianaSHYes
MichiganSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MaineSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
VirginiaSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
ManitobaS3Yes
New BrunswickS2Yes
QuebecS4Yes
OntarioS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (23)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
Norwich Plains Revised Roadless AreaOttawa National Forest4,360
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Cabin CreekSuperior National Forest6,071
New Hampshire (1)
AreaForestAcres
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Virginia (14)
AreaForestAcres
Gum RunGeorge Washington National Forest12,620
James River AdditionJefferson National Forest1,140
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Mt. PleasantGeorge Washington National Forest8,933
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Saint Marys AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest1,454
SkidmoreGeorge Washington National Forest5,641
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
The FriarsGeorge Washington National Forest2,035
The PriestGeorge Washington National Forest5,737
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
Three SistersGeorge Washington National Forest8,149
West Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Dry River (WV)George Washington National Forest7,331
North Mountain HopevilleMonongahela National Forest6,525
References (8)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2009. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 585 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  6. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  8. Stubbs, R.L., R.A. Folk, D.E. Soltis, and N. Cellinese. 2020. Diversification in the Arctic: Biogeography and Systematics of the North American Micranthes (Saxifragaceae). Systematic Botany 45(4): 802-811.