Amsonia tomentosa
Amsonia ludoviciana
gray amsonia, woolly bluestar
Louisiana blue-star
erect, 11–65 cm, glabrous or tomentose;
branches usually borne on most of stem (occasionally confined to distal portion), well exceeding infructescence.
erect, 30–41(–78) cm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent;
branches borne on distal portion of stem, much exceeding infructescence (occasionally absent).
petiole 1–5 mm, glabrous or tomentose (leaves rarely sessile);
leaf blades slightly or moderately heteromorphic;
stem leaf blades ovate to narrowly lanceolate, narrowly to very narrowly elliptic, or elliptic, (2–)3–5(–6) cm × (3–)4–27 mm, margins entire, not revolute, not ciliate, apex acute (somewhat acuminate), surfaces glabrous or densely (rarely sparsely) tomentose;
branch leaf blades narrower than stem leaf blades, (2.2–)3–4.7(–5.6) cm × (2–)3–6(–13) mm.
petiole (3–)4–5(–6) mm, moderately to densely (sparsely) pubescent;
blades not heteromorphic;
stem leaf blades lanceolate, elliptic, or ovate (narrowly elliptic, broadly elliptic, or oblong-lanceolate), (4–)4.8–7.4(–9.5) cm × (10–)12–40(–45) mm, margins entire, not revolute, moderately to densely ciliate, apex acuminate (acute), surfaces densely (to moderately) tomentose abaxially, glabrous adaxially;
branch leaf blades similar to stem leaf blades.
sepals subulate or narrowly deltate (deltate), (2–)3.5–6(–7.5) mm;
corolla tube green to purplish or pinkish green, (7–)8–12(–13) mm, lobes bluish (violet- to lavender-tinged) to white especially after anthesis (pinkish, bluish, or purple-tinged), (2.8–)4.5–8 mm, outer surface of corolla glabrous.
sepals deltate, 0.8–1.1 mm;
corolla tube purplish, greenish above, 7–8 mm, lobes blue, 6–8 mm, outer surface of corolla with 5 patches of long trichomes at corolla lobe bases and distal part of tube, less often glabrous.
(8–)11–17 × (3–)3.9–5.5(–6.3) mm.
9–13 × 1.7–2 mm.
erect (aberrantly deformed and spreading), 2–8(–9.5) cm × (4–)4.8–6.8 mm, apex acuminate, glabrous (partly tomentose).
erect, (6.5–)8.5–10 cm × (2–)3–4 mm, apex acuminate, pubescent at least distally or glabrous.
= 22.
Amsonia tomentosa
Amsonia ludoviciana
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Both varieties of Amsonia tomentosa have an unusual pattern of variation in pubescence. Stems and leaves are usually either densely tomentose or glabrous, with intermediate density of pubescence rare. In some populations, the two forms are found together, suggesting that indument may be a single-gene trait.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Amsonia ludoviciana is distinguishable from A. tabernaemontana by its tomentose leaf indument and sometimes distally pubescent follicles, but its distinctiveness has been questioned by some. Almost all of its range is in Louisiana, where it appears to be uncommon yet relatively widespread. Very few collections are known from north-central Georgia, extreme eastern Texas, and southwestern Mississippi (where it is suspected of having been extirpated; no recent collections were seen).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Stem leaf blades ovate to lanceolate (narrowly elliptic to elliptic), (6–)8–27 mm wide, branch leaf blades markedly narrower, 4–13 mm wide; w, s Arizona, California, Nevada. | var. tomentosa |
1. Stem leaf blades narrowly to very narrowly elliptic or narrowly lanceolate, (3–)4–8(–10) mm wide, branch leaf blades slightly narrower, (2–)3–6(–7) mm wide; n Arizona, Utah. | var. stenophylla |
CA
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