Hey everybody, first post. From what I've seen this looks like one of the best forums for plant identification.

I'm taking a Permaculture Design Certification course and on a plant ID assignment - still pretty new to it but plan to be doing *a lot* more. Here's a pic of a plant on my property I've decided to identify.

I really think it's Claytonia Perfoliata possibly ssp. Intermontana. I've pulled the flowers apart and confirmed 5 white petals. I live in the San Bernardino National forest of SoCal, primarily cedar forest at 4650 ft, well drained sandy soils.

Would greatly appreciate a confirmation from someone - thanks!

Dave

A description of the plant you mention on Flora of North America:

http://www.efloras.org/florata...

More info:

http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bi...

The leaves on your plant are patterned. It doesn't resemble the plant here:

http://science.halleyhosting.c...

But there are plants with patterned leaves:

http://en.hortipedia.com/wiki/...

In the San Bernardino Mountains, you can find members of the C. perfoliata species complex in sympatry. The evidence for hybridization in this area mirrors what I observed at Tejon Ranch.

https://claytonia.org/category...

Claytonia perfoliata subsp. intermontana is an accepted name:

http://www.theplantlist.org/tp...

Newly described in 1993 (Miller and Chambers 1993).

http://explorer.natureserve.or...

http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPla...

A Dichotomous key to Claytonia:

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi...

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi...

Given the difficulties of Claytonia I couldn't tell you anything for certain, using the keys and checking the subspecies link on the above is all I can suggest.

Dave ...

Welcome ...

Janet ... You are very good. I, too, checked the Calflora site and did not see a varigated form of miner's lettuce. I do have some growing in my garden in the northern part of California in Trinity County at about the 2000' elevation without the varigated foliage

I'm from the Northern San Juaquin Valley in California where Miner's Lettuce would be considered a noxious weed if it weren't native. I have never seen a variegated form. Very cool!

Daisy

Could the variegation actually be the gas pockets mentioned in Janet's link to Claytonia perfoliata subsp. intermontana on eFlora?

eclayne said:Could the variegation actually be the gas pockets mentioned in Janet's link to Claytonia perfoliata subsp. intermontana on eFlora?

That was my thought.

with epidermal gas pockets adaxially, pockets remain preserved upon drying, or blades green;

http://www.efloras.org/florata...

"epidermal" - beneath the "skin" layer

"adaxially" -

facing towards the stem of a plant (in particular denoting the upper surface of a leaf).

https://www.google.co.uk/searc...

Wow, thanks for the great responses! I came to the right place I checked out all those references, a few of those I saw myself before. There's a mixed bag of images of perfoliata, some showing variegation but I suppose that's to be suspected since it's technically a mutation?

Here I have some images of other examples on the property, all showing some form of variegation, it appears more as the specimen get's older, some showing differing amounts. If they all share the same trait, then perhaps it's a local subspecies that is well adapted to the area (for other reasons) that just happens to have passed on the variegated mutation?

http://www.efloras.org/florata...

"Leaves: blades livid or beet red or purplish abaxially and gray-green " - noticed some examples of red/purple

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

"As the days get hotter, the leaves turn a deep red color as they dry out." - interesting as I did find some examples of plants in a dryer area that have start to wilt and displaying the red coloration (shown in pic)

It appears some local creature has been nibbling some of the leaves. As I'm coming from the sustainable/permaculture angle, I'm interested in discovering the edible properties myself. I plan to eat some - anyone think it's a bad idea? haha

http://www.northernbushcraft.c...

-this is listed on their "safe-list" ( edible wild plants that are easy to identify and have no poisonous look a likes)

David

It's an interesting plant David.

The only worry I would have about eating it is that you take care to preserve the stocks of the plants. The risk you take in eating it is yours!

Well, I ate some....I'm still here and it wasn't that bad actually! I'll make sure I don't eat all of them so it can reproduce haha