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silky silverbush, silvery wild-Mercury

Brandegee's silverbush, Sonoran silverbush

Habit Herbs, perennial, dioecious, rarely monoecious, to 3.5 dm.
Stems

erect, densely hairy, hairs silvery, malpighiaceous.

Leaves

stipules deciduous, oblanceolate or obovate to ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm, margins not glandular;

petiole 1–3 mm;

blade elliptic to ovate, 0.9–4 × 0.4–0.8 cm, margins entire, without glands, surfaces densely hairy, hairs silvery, malpighiaceous.

Inflorescences

unisexual, pistillate 0.5–1 cm, flowers solitary, staminate 1–2 cm;

bracts ovate to elliptic, 0.4–0.5 mm, margins without glands.

Flowers

usually releasing pink dye when wetted.

Staminate flowers

sepals linear to lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.3–2 mm;

petals linear-lanceolate, 3–5 × 0.5–0.6 mm, free from androphore;

nectary glands ovate, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1 mm, free from androphore, glabrous;

stamens 10, staminodes 5, punctiform, glabrous.

Pistillate flowers

sepals elliptic, 3–4.3 × 0.8–2 mm, without glands;

petals 5, lanceolate to linear, 1.5–2 × 0.3–0.5 mm;

nectary glands oblong to linear, 0.8 × 0.5 mm, glabrous;

ovary hispidulous;

styles 1–1.7 mm, pilose;

stigmas flattened.

Capsules

4–5 mm, hairs adpressed, short, silvery.

Seeds

2.3–2.5 mm, finely papillate.

Argythamnia argyraea

Argythamnia brandegeei

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Shortgrass grasslands or open shrublands on whitish, clay soils.
Elevation 100–400 m. (300–1300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; nw Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

There are very few collections of Argythamnia argyraea, which is endemic to south Texas in Kinney, La Salle, and Maverick counties. Plants of Argythamnia argyraea are usually dioecious, but William Mahler found that larger plants are occasionally monoecious (J. Poole, pers. comm.).

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

Varieties 2 (1 in the flora).

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 175. FNA vol. 12, p. 175.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia
Sibling taxa
A. adenophora, A. aphoroides, A. argothamnoides, 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. claryana, A. cyanophylla, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata, A. simulans
Subordinate taxa
A. brandegeei var. intonsa
Synonyms Ditaxis brandegeei
Name authority Cory: Madroño 8: 92. (1945) Millspaugh: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 2, 2: 220. (1889) — (as brandegei)
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