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bluestem pricklypoppy, white prickly-poppy

Arizona pricklypoppy

Habit Plants annual or biennial. Plants perennial.
Stems

4-10(-15) dm, sparingly to moderately prickly.

5-8 dm, diffusely branched, often decumbent, copiously long-prickly.

Leaf

blades: abaxial surface sparingly prickly on main veins, adaxial surface unarmed or sparingly prickly on main veins;

basal and proximal lobed 1/2-4/5 distance to midrib;

distal clasping.

blades: surfaces sparingly long-prickly on veins;

basal and proximal lobed nearly to midrib, lobe length often to 5 times width;

distal not clasping.

Inflorescences

buds broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, body 12-18 × 10-16 mm, sparingly to rather closely prickly;

sepal horns terete, 3-6(-10) mm, usually unarmed.

buds ellipsoid-oblong, body 15-18 × 12-15 mm, prickly;

sepal horns slender, terete, 12-15 mm, prickly at base.

Flowers

5-10 cm broad, closely to more distantly subtended by 1-2 foliaceous bracts;

petals white;

stamens 150 or more;

filaments lemon yellow;

pistil (3-)4-5(-7)-carpellate.

7-10 cm broad;

petals white;

stamens 100 or more;

filaments pale yellow;

pistil 3-carpellate.

Capsules

oblong, oblong-ellipsoid, or narrowly ellipsoid, 20-40(-45) × 10-15(-25) mm (including stigma and excluding prickles), prickly, surface clearly visible to partially obscured, longest prickles widely spaced, 6-10(-12) mm, sometimes interspersed with smaller ones.

narrowly ellipsoid-oblong, 35-45 × 10-14 mm (including stigma and excluding prickles), closely prickly, longest prickles 8-10 mm.

Seeds

1.6-2 mm.

ca. 2 mm.

Argemone albiflora

Argemone arizonica

Phenology Flowering spring; fruiting summer.
Habitat Precipitous slopes
Elevation 1000-2000 m (3300-6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; FL; GA; IL; LA; MA; MI; MO; MS; NC; NY; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of conservation concern.

Argemone arizonica grows well in Grand Canyon National Park, especially along the Kaibab and Bright Angel trails.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Capsules oblong to oblong-ellipsoid, prickles equal, widely spaced.
subsp. albiflora
1. Capsules usually narrowly ellipsoid, prickles unequal, longer ones widely spaced, interspersed with shorter, unequal ones.
subsp. texana
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Papaveraceae > Argemone Papaveraceae > Argemone
Sibling taxa
A. aenea, A. arizonica, A. aurantiaca, A. chisosensis, A. corymbosa, A. gracilenta, A. hispida, A. mexicana, A. munita, A. ochroleuca, A. pleiacantha, A. polyanthemos, A. sanguinea, A. squarrosa
A. aenea, A. albiflora, A. aurantiaca, A. chisosensis, A. corymbosa, A. gracilenta, A. hispida, A. mexicana, A. munita, A. ochroleuca, A. pleiacantha, A. polyanthemos, A. sanguinea, A. squarrosa
Subordinate taxa
A. albiflora subsp. albiflora, A. albiflora subsp. texana
Name authority Hornemann: Hort. Bot. Hafn. 2: 489. (1815) G. B. Ownbey: Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 21: 91. (1958)
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