Burke: Arnica parryi vs. Arnica nevadensis

	Arnica parryi	Arnica nevadensis
	Parry's arnica	Nevada arnica, Sierra arnica, Sierran leopardbane
Habit	Heads generally several, narrow, with few disk flowers; involucre 10-14 mm. high with pointed bracts, covered with stalked glands; rays about 8 or about 13, 1.5-2 cm. long; pappus straw-colored, sub-plumose.	Perennial from long, naked, branched rhizomes, 1-3 dm. tall, glandular throughout, the stems often solitary.
Leaves	Cauline leaves 2-4 pairs, strongly reduced upward, with lanceolate or lance-ovate blades 5-20 cm. long and 1.5-6 cm. wide.	Cauline leaves 2-3 pairs, the lower larger and petiolate, the blade broadly ovate with rounded to sub-cordate base, 3-7 cm. long and 2-4 cm. wide; the long-petiolate basal leaves, similar to the lower leaves, often on separate short shoots.
Flowers	Heads several, nodding in bud, rayless; involucres 10-14 mm. high, their bracts sharp pointed; pappus tawny, sub-plumose.	Heads 1-3; involucre 10-15 mm. high, densely covered with short-stalked glands; pappus white to straw-colored, strongly barbellate.
Fruits	Achenes glabrous to glandular or hairy.	Achenes uniformly glandular or short hairy or both.

	Arnica parryi	Arnica nevadensis
Identification notes	The other rayless species in our area, Arnica discoidea, has wider leaves, and the heads are upright in bud.	The similar Arnica cordifolia has copius long, white hairs on the involucre, while A. nevadensis is only glandular; also, A. nevadensis has entire leaves, while A. cordifolia usually has toothed leaves.
Flowering time	June-August	June-August
Habitat	Open woods and meadows, from middle elevations to the alpine.	Open, rocky slopes and forest openings in the subalpine and alpine.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east to the Rocky Mountains. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring in the Cascades and Olympic mountains in Washington; Washington to California, east to Nevada. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	A. chamissonis, A. cordifolia, A. discoidea, A. fulgens, A. gracilis, A. lanceolata, A. latifolia, A. longifolia, A. mollis, A. nevadensis, A. ovata, A. rydbergii, A. sororia	A. chamissonis, A. cordifolia, A. discoidea, A. fulgens, A. gracilis, A. lanceolata, A. latifolia, A. longifolia, A. mollis, A. ovata, A. parryi, A. rydbergii, A. sororia
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Arnica nevadensis

Parry's arnica

Nevada arnica, Sierra arnica, Sierran leopardbane

Habit

Heads generally several, narrow, with few disk flowers; involucre 10-14 mm. high with pointed bracts, covered with stalked glands; rays about 8 or about 13, 1.5-2 cm. long; pappus straw-colored, sub-plumose.

Perennial from long, naked, branched rhizomes, 1-3 dm. tall, glandular throughout, the stems often solitary.

Leaves

Cauline leaves 2-4 pairs, strongly reduced upward, with lanceolate or lance-ovate blades 5-20 cm. long and 1.5-6 cm. wide.

Cauline leaves 2-3 pairs, the lower larger and petiolate, the blade broadly ovate with rounded to sub-cordate base, 3-7 cm. long and 2-4 cm. wide; the long-petiolate basal leaves, similar to the lower leaves, often on separate short shoots.

Flowers

Heads several, nodding in bud, rayless;

involucres 10-14 mm. high, their bracts sharp pointed;

pappus tawny, sub-plumose.

Heads 1-3;

involucre 10-15 mm. high, densely covered with short-stalked glands;

pappus white to straw-colored, strongly barbellate.

Fruits

Achenes glabrous to glandular or hairy.

Achenes uniformly glandular or short hairy or both.

Arnica parryi

Arnica nevadensis

Identification notes

The other rayless species in our area, Arnica discoidea, has wider leaves, and the heads are upright in bud.

The similar Arnica cordifolia has copius long, white hairs on the involucre, while A. nevadensis is only glandular; also, A. nevadensis has entire leaves, while A. cordifolia usually has toothed leaves.

Flowering time

June-August

Habitat

Open woods and meadows, from middle elevations to the alpine.

Open, rocky slopes and forest openings in the subalpine and alpine.

Distribution