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Brandegee's silverbush, Sonoran silverbush

plateau silverbush

Habit Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, usually monoecious, rarely dioecious, to 6 dm.
Stems

erect, hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

Leaves

stipules deciduous, elliptic, 0.3–0.4 mm, margins not glandular;

petiole absent;

blade ovate, elliptic, or obovate, 1.6–7.5 × 0.4–3.8 cm, margins entire or undulate, without glands, surfaces hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

Inflorescences

bisexual, 3.5–12 cm;

bracts elliptic, 1–1.5 mm, margins without glands.

Flowers

without pink dye when wetted.

Staminate flowers

sepals narrowly elliptic, 4–5.3 × 0.9–1.6 mm;

petals elliptic, 2–4 × 1.2–1.5 mm, adnate to or free to androphore;

nectary glands ovate, 0.5–0.8 × 0.3–0.6 mm, adnate to androphore, glabrous;

stamens 7–8, staminodes 0.

Pistillate flowers

sepals narrowly elliptic, 6–9 × 1.7–2.7 mm, without glands;

petals 0 or 5, lanceolate, less than 0.5 mm;

nectary glands ovate to oblong, 0.3–0.4 × 0.5–0.6 mm, glabrous;

ovary strigose to hispidulous;

styles 1.5–2.1 mm, glabrous;

stigmas flattened.

Capsules

3.5–9 mm, hispidulous.

Seeds

3.5–4.2 mm, faintly and irregularly alveolate.

Argythamnia brandegeei

Argythamnia simulans

Phenology Flowering Mar–Nov.
Habitat Grasslands, oak woodlands, loamy to clayey, calcareous, often rocky, soils.
Elevation 100–500 m. (300–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; nw Mexico
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (1 in the flora).

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

Argythamnia simulans was described by Ingram as having staminate petals free from the androphore (Clemans 433, RSA), but in some specimens the staminate petals are adnate to the androphore (Riskind 2370 MEXU, TEX, DAV). This character is usually constant within a species, although it is in some instances difficult to discern. Further study is needed to determinate the significance of this variation within A. simulans.

In the flora area, Argythamnia simulans is found primarily on the Edwards Plateau.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 175. FNA vol. 12, p. 179.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia
Sibling taxa
A. adenophora, A. aphoroides, A. argothamnoides, A. argyraea, 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. cyanophylla, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata
Subordinate taxa
A. brandegeei var. intonsa
Synonyms Ditaxis brandegeei Ditaxis simulans
Name authority Millspaugh: Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 2, 2: 220. (1889) — (as brandegei) J. W. Ingram: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 84: 421. (1958)
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