About Micranthes tolmiei (Torr. & A.Gray) Brouillet & Gornall
Micranthes tolmiei is a species of flowering plant with the common names Tolmie's saxifrage and Tolmie's alpine saxifrage. This plant is native to western North America, ranging from Alaska to Montana to California. It grows in rocky mountain habitat types, particularly in alpine climates including talus and fellfields. It is a small perennial herb that grows in mats of creeping stems lined with thick, fleshy leaves, each leaf reaching up to 1.5 centimeters long. The inflorescence emerges on a stout, erect peduncle that has a few stubby bracts at its midpoint. Its flowers have narrow white petals and petal-like white stamens. The species was discovered by and named for Dr. William Fraser Tolmie. At the time of discovery, Dr. Tolmie was a 21-year-old employee of the Hudson's Bay Company. He found this plant when he climbed Mount Rainier, located in what is now Washington state.