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Douglas' dusty maidens, hoary false yarrow

alpine chaenactis, alpine dusty maidens

Habit Plants biennial or perennial, 5–60 cm. Plants perennial, 2–10+ cm.
Stems

erect, floccose-tomentose, often glandular-puberulent distally.

erect, glandular-puberulent, usually proximally floccose or glabrate.

Leaves

basal and cauline, narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, elliptic, or linear, 1–12 cm, 2-pinnately lobed; secondary lobes becoming inrolled and disc-like with age;

surfaces tomentose, petiolate.

basal, narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, elliptic, or linear, 1–6 cm, 2-pinnately lobed; secondary lobes becoming inrolled and disc-like with age;

surfaces floccose-puberulent, petiolate.

Involucres

obconic or campanulate, 8–15 mm.

campanulate, 9–14 mm.

Disc florets

corollas 5–8 mm, white, pink, or pale yellow, glabrous or glandular-puberulent; outer radially symmetric.

corollas 5–8 mm, white, cream, or pinkish;

surfaces glabrous; outer radially symmetric.

Phyllaries

in 2–5 unequal series, linear to narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate;

surfaces cobwebby to woolly, stipitate-glandular.

in 3–4 subequal series, linear or narrowly oblanceolate;

surfaces glandular-puberulent, sometimes hispid-ciliate.

Fruits

5–8 mm;

surfaces strigose or glandular-puberulent;

pappi in 3–4 series of unequal scales.

5–8 mm, strigose-puberulent;

pappi in 3–4 equal series of scales.

Heads

erect, peduncled.

erect, peduncled.

2n

=12, 24, 36.

=12.

Chaenactis douglasii

Chaenactis alpina

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, dry hillsides, ridge tops, riverbanks, rock outcrops, disturbed areas. Flowering Apr–Sep. 0–2300 m. BR, BW, Casc, Col, ECas, Lava, Owy, Sisk. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to Alberta, east to SD, southeast to NM. Native.

Chromosome studies by Mooring (1980) show that this species varies from diploid to hexaploid, with intermediate numbers resulting from hybridization. As a result, morphological differences at the diploid level become mixed into a morphological continuum among the polyploids.

Alpine slopes and ridges. Flowering Jul–Sep. 2100–3100 m. BW. CA, ID; northeast to MT, east to WY, southeast to CO. Native.

Some authorities treat C. alpina as a variety of C. douglasii.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 219
Kenton Chambers
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 218
Kenton Chambers
Sibling taxa
C. alpina, C. cusickii, C. macrantha, C. nevii, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. xantiana
C. cusickii, C. douglasii, C. macrantha, C. nevii, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. xantiana
Synonyms Chaenactis douglasii var. douglasii, Chaenactis douglasii var. glandulosa, Chaenactis douglasii var. montana, Chaenactis rubricaulis Chaenactis douglasii var. alpina
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