OregonFlora: Eucephalus paucicapitatus vs. Eucephalus

	Eucephalus paucicapitatus	Eucephalus
		aster
Habit		Herbs perennial; fibrous-rooted from caudices or short rhizomes.
Stems		ascending to erect, glabrate to glandular-pubescent or woolly or cottony-pubescent.
Leaves		cauline, alternate, linear-lanceolate to ovate or elliptic; ± entire; lowermost often reduced and deciduous by flowering, sessile.
Inflorescences		heads solitary or in corymb-, raceme- or panicle-like arrays; branches often with reduced leaves or bracts.
Involucres		cylindrical to campanulate or turbinate.
Receptacles		± flat; paleae 0.
Ray florets		0–21, pistillate; corollas white to pink or violet-purple.
Disc florets		10–25; bisexual; corollas tubular, gradually enlarged distally, yellow; lobes 5, triangular; erect or reflexed.
Phyllaries		in 3–6 series; erect to spreading, usually imbricate, bases ± chartaceous, 1-veined; midribs raised, keeled; tips green, often reddish at margins.
Fruits		± obconic, flattened, 1–2-ribbed, sometimes with 1–2 additional veins on each face, pappi of 30–50 barbellate bristles in 2–3 series.
Heads		radiate or discoid.

	Eucephalus paucicapitatus	Eucephalus
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[BONAP county map]
Discussion		Western Canada and United States. 10 species; 7 species treated in Flora. Several species of Eucephalus intergrade extensively in southwestern Oregon, including E. glabratus, E. ledophyllus, E. tomentellus, E. vialis, and possibly E. breweri. Of these, three (E. breweri, E. ledophyllus, and E. vialis) are well marked elsewhere in their range. The remaining two (E. glabratus and E. tomentellus) are poorly marked and appear to represent indistinct intermediates along a morphological gradient between E. ledophyllus and E. vialis.
Source		Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 265 Geraldine Allen
Sibling taxa	E. breweri, E. elegans, E. glabratus, E. gormanii, E. gormanii x Eucephalus ledophyllus, E. ledophyllus, E. tomentellus, E. tomentellus x Eucephalus vialis, E. vialis
Subordinate taxa		E. breweri, E. elegans, E. glabratus, E. gormanii, E. ledophyllus, E. tomentellus, E. vialis
Web links	Local floras: BC, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Eucephalus paucicapitatus

Eucephalus

aster

Habit

Herbs perennial; fibrous-rooted from caudices or short rhizomes.

Stems

ascending to erect, glabrate to glandular-pubescent or woolly or cottony-pubescent.

Leaves

cauline, alternate, linear-lanceolate to ovate or elliptic; ± entire; lowermost often reduced and deciduous by flowering, sessile.

Inflorescences

heads solitary or in corymb-, raceme- or panicle-like arrays;

branches often with reduced leaves or bracts.

Involucres

cylindrical to campanulate or turbinate.

Receptacles

± flat;

paleae 0.

Ray florets

0–21, pistillate;

corollas white to pink or violet-purple.

Disc florets

10–25; bisexual;

corollas tubular, gradually enlarged distally, yellow;

lobes 5, triangular; erect or reflexed.

Phyllaries

in 3–6 series; erect to spreading, usually imbricate, bases ± chartaceous, 1-veined; midribs raised, keeled;

tips green, often reddish at margins.

Fruits

± obconic, flattened, 1–2-ribbed, sometimes with 1–2 additional veins on each face, pappi of 30–50 barbellate bristles in 2–3 series.

Heads

radiate or discoid.

Eucephalus paucicapitatus

Eucephalus

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Western Canada and United States. 10 species; 7 species treated in Flora.

Several species of Eucephalus intergrade extensively in southwestern Oregon, including E. glabratus, E. ledophyllus, E. tomentellus, E. vialis, and possibly E. breweri. Of these, three (E. breweri, E. ledophyllus, and E. vialis) are well marked elsewhere in their range. The remaining two (E. glabratus and E. tomentellus) are poorly marked and appear to represent indistinct intermediates along a morphological gradient between E. ledophyllus and E. vialis.