All the Chickweeds shown share Alsinaceae characteristics: small, bright, white flowers and narrow, long, opposite leaves.  Chickweeds generally are matted quite low to the ground, but several do grow to a slender 20 inches.

    The family name, "Alsinaceae", is the ancient Greek name for similar plants. 

    The 2005 Flora of North America, the Synthesis of the North American Flora, the on-line USDA Plant Database, the Intermountain Flora, and A Flora of Utah all place the following plants in Caryophyllaceae (Pink Family).  Weber places them in Alsinaceae.

Alpine. Tundra. Summer.
Upper Calico Trail, August 31, 2005.
Black Bear Pass Road, July 20, 2008.

We generally think that life, especially delicate and beautiful life, needs shelter, water, and, in the case of plants, rich soils.  But life thrives in many environments which do not fit these criteria.  Lidia grows on high, dry, rocky alpine ridges exposed to intense drying sun and wind.  Water drains very quickly through the rocky surroundings.  Lidia's habitat (and growth patterns) are quite similar to those of Alpine Phlox and Moss Campion.

Lidia obtusiloba is an abundant, handsome plant forming a very low, dense mat of bright green leaves topped by numerous white flowers on stems that just top the basal mat of leaves or exceed it by several inches.  Sepals are curved inward in a hood and they and the leaves are blunt tipped, i.e., "obtusiloba":

  Linnaeus named the Minuartia genus in 1753.  Rydberg named this species Alsinopsis obtusiloba in 1906, House renamed it Minuartia obtusiloba in 1921, and Love renamed it Lidia obtusiloba in 1976, honoring Johannes Lid, 1886-1971, Norwegian botanist.  (More biographical information.)