Upper montane, sub-alpine, alpine.  Moist areas. Summer.
Road to Spiller/Helmet Ridge, July 11, 2006.

Adoxa moschatellina is often said to be uncommon, but it very well may be that the plant is relatively common but so small that it goes unnoticed. It certainly is true that few people get to see Adoxa moschatellina.  My wife found our first views of it as we were exploring along an old mining road in the La Platas Mountains.  Once we knew about the plant's preferred habitat of moist, mossy streamsides and moist forest hillsides, we were able to find it on a number of western San Juan Mountain trails.

Adoxaceae has just two genera world-wide, Adoxa and Sinadoxa and only three species: Adoxa moschatellina, which is circumboreal and is found in the U.S. in eleven states (rare in six of these), and Adoxa omeinensis and Sinadoxa corydalifolia which were found in the latter part of the 20th century in China.

Linnaeus named this genus and species in 1753.  "Adoxa" is Greek for "without glory" and "mosch" is Greek for "musk".  Add the diminutive "ellina" and altogether the name means "the humble, inconspicuous, musky smelling plant".

Upper montane, sub-alpine, alpine.  Moist areas. Summer.
Road to Spiller/Helmet Ridge, July 11, 2006.

Upper montane, sub-alpine, alpine.  Moist areas. Summer.
Road to Spiller/Helmet Ridge, June 19, 2007 and June 22, 2009 and Lizard Head Trail, August 4, 2010.

Five green/white flowers are arranged in a box-shaped terminal cluster: there is one flower at the top, and immediately below this flower are four flowers, each facing outward on a different side of the box.  Here is how William Weber describes the flowers of this plant:  "The inflorescence is unique.  The terminal flower has a 2-lobed calyx (bracts?) [which cannot be seen in the photographs] a 4-lobed greenish corolla, and 4 stamens alternating with the lobes.  The filaments are deeply divided, giving the impression of 8 stamens.  The lateral flowers ... have a 3-lobed calyx [which cannot be seen in the photographs], a 5-lobed, greenish corolla, and 5 (looking like 10) stamens.  The ovary is half inferior, of 3-4 united carpels."

The seed capsule is just as cute as the rest of the plant.

The final photograph at bottom left shows the minute capsules hanging below tiny leaves.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Adoxa moschatellina