Arenaria saxosa A.Gray var. cinerascens B.L.Rob.

Arenaria saxosa and Arenaria confusa are often combined under Arenaria lanuginosa var. saxosa (e.g., in The Flora of North America; or Spergulastrum lanuginosum in Kelly Allred's NM checklist), however I am following the treatment by Bassett Maguire in The Flora of Arizona. These taxa are apparently in need of further research to determine which, if either, treatment is correct; however, it seems unsatisfying to lump considerable variation within a single variety. Like Arenaria saxosa var. saxosa, var. cinerascens has unbranched or sparingly branched stems, short, ascending pedicels, and ascending to erect & appressed leaves that are densely puberulent. However, compared to var. saxosa, the stems are longer, fewer, and ascending to erect rather than prostrate, and the leaves are larger & proportionally narrower.

A flower at Emory Pass in the Black Range, border of Sierra and Grant Counties, New Mexico, 10 Jul 2005.

Plant habit at Emory Pass, 10 Jul 2005.

Cauline leaves at Emory Pass, 10 Jul 2005.