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Hill country silverbush

bruise leaf, Charleston Mountain silverbush

Habit Herbs, perennial, monoecious or dioecious, to 5 dm. Herbs, perennial, monoecious, to 2.5 dm.
Stems

erect to ascending, hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

erect, sparsely hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

Leaves

stipules deciduous, linear-lanceolate, to 1 mm, margins not glandular;

petiole absent;

blade elliptic, 1.5–4 × 0.6–2 cm, margins entire, without glands, surfaces hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

stipules apparently persistent, punctiform, minute, margins glandular;

petiole absent;

blade elliptic, obovate, or linear, 1–5 × 0.5–2.2 cm, margins entire, without glands, surfaces sparsely hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

Inflorescences

unisexual, 3–8 cm;

bracts linear-lanceolate, 2–4.5 mm, margins without glands.

unisexual or bisexual, to 4 cm;

bracts ovate to lanceolate, to 1.5 mm, margins without glands.

Flowers

without pink dye when wetted.

without pink dye when wetted.

Staminate flowers

sepals lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4–5.5 × 1.1–1.4 mm;

petals cuneate-elliptic to cuneate-obovate, 3.3–4 × 1.6–3 mm, free from androphore;

nectary glands oblong, 0.4–0.5 × 0.3–0.4 mm, adnate to androphore, glabrous;

stamens 10, staminodes 0.

sepals lanceolate, 3.5–7 × 1–1.3 mm;

petals spatulate to obovate, 3–5 × 1.5 mm, adnate to androphore;

nectary glands elliptic, 0.3 × 0.2 mm, adnate to androphore, glabrous;

stamens (7–)10, staminodes 0 or rudimentary.

Pistillate flowers

sepals lanceolate to elliptic, 6–7 × 1.7–3.2 mm, without glands;

petals 0 or 5, linear, 0–1.7 mm;

nectary glands oblong, 0.5 × 0.7 mm, glabrous;

ovary tomentose to lanulose;

styles 1.5–3 mm, tomentose;

stigmas flattened.

sepals lanceolate to ovate, 3.5–7 × 1.5–2.2 mm, without glands;

petals 5, obovate to spatulate, 2.8–3.5 × 0.7–2.8 mm;

nectary glands obovate, 0.5 × 0.7 mm, glabrous;

ovary sericeous;

styles 1.6–2 mm, glabrous;

stigmas flattened.

Capsules

7–9 mm, tomentose to lanulose.

3–5.5 mm, with scattered adpressed malpighiaceous hairs.

Seeds

3.7–5 mm, smooth, lightly tuberculate, or striate.

3.5–4 mm, smooth, maculate.

Argythamnia aphoroides

Argythamnia cyanophylla

Phenology Flowering Jan–Jul. Flowering Mar–Jun and Aug–Oct.
Habitat Bluestem-grama grasslands, oak woodlands, calcareous, often rocky, clay or loam soils. Scrub, pinyon-juniper woodlands, limestone-derived, rocky soils, damp zones near lakes.
Elevation 300–600 m. (1000–2000 ft.) 2000–2600 m. (6600–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; NV
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Argythamnia aphoroides is restricted to the Edwards Plateau.

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

Argythamnia cyanophylla is found from southern Nevada across northern Arizona to central New Mexico.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 174. FNA vol. 12, p. 176.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia
Sibling taxa
A. adenophora, A. argothamnoides, A. argyraea, A. brandegeei, A. claryana, A. cyanophylla, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata, A. simulans
A. adenophora, A. aphoroides, A. argothamnoides, A. argyraea, A. brandegeei, A. claryana, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata, A. simulans
Synonyms Ditaxis aphoroides Ditaxis cyanophylla, D. diversiflora
Name authority Müller Arg.: Linnaea 34: 146. (1865) — (as Argyrothamnia) (Wooton & Standley) J. W. Ingram: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 80: 423. (1953)
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