Argythamnia claryana
Argythamnia
desert silverbush
silverbush, wild-Mercury
erect, hairy, hairs simple and malpighiaceous.
stipules persistent, elliptic, lanceolate, or subulate, sometimes divided in 2 unequal segments, 1.7–2.5 mm, margins with conic glands;
petiole 2–6 mm;
blade elliptic, 0.8–1.9 × 0.4–1.2 cm, margins serrate, with conic glands, surfaces hairy, hairs simple and malpighiaceous.
drought deciduous or persistent, alternate, simple;
stipules present, persistent or deciduous;
petiole absent or present, glands usually absent (tack-shaped glands along length in A. adenophora);
blade unlobed, margins entire or serrate-dentate, laminar glands absent;
venation palmate (3- or 5-veined), secondary veins arcuate, not closely spaced.
bisexual, to 0.5 cm;
bracts ovate, 2–3 mm, margins with conic glands.
unisexual or bisexual (pistillate flowers proximal, staminate distal), axillary, racemes;
glands subtending each bract 0.
present.
without pink dye when wetted.
sepals lanceolate, 2.5–3.5 × 0.4–0.5 mm;
petals elliptic, 3–4 × 0.8–1.2 mm, adnate to androphore;
nectary glands narrowly elliptic, oblong, or ovate, 0.3–0.7 × 0.2–0.3 mm, free from androphore, glabrous;
stamens 10, staminodes 3–5, glabrous.
sepals [4–]5, valvate, distinct;
petals [4–]5, distinct, free or adnate to androphore, white, sometimes pale yellow-green or pale purple proximally;
nectary extrastaminal, [4–]5 glands;
stamens [4–](7–)10[–12] in [1–]2 whorls, connate proximally forming androphore;
staminodes 0–5, at apex of androphore;
pistillode absent.
sepals lanceolate to ovate, 2.5–4.5 × 0.8–1.3 mm, margins with conic glands;
petals 5, elliptic, 2–3 × 0.7–1.2 mm, margins with glandular teeth;
petals elliptic, 2–3 × 0.7–1.2 mm;
nectary glands ovate to linear, 0.3–0.5 × 0.2–0.5 mm, glabrous;
ovary hispidulous;
styles 1–2 mm, glabrous;
stigmas flattened.
sepals 5, distinct;
petals usually 5, sometimes rudimentary or 0, distinct, white, sometimes pale yellow-green or pale purple proximally;
nectary 5 glands;
pistil 3(–4)-carpellate;
styles 3, distinct or connate proximally, 2-fid, branches 6 per flower, [2 times 2-fid].
capsules, not muricate.
3–4.5 mm, hispidulous.
2.5–3 mm, with shallow depressions, lightly striate.
globose to ovoid;
caruncle absent [present].
Argythamnia claryana
Argythamnia
Argythamnia claryana is known with certainty only from very arid regions of southeastern California and southwestern Arizona but also is expected in Baja California. I. L. Wiggins (1980) reported A. adenophora from northeastern Baja California, but considering that these two species are very similar and that Wiggins (in F. Shreve and Wiggins 1964) previously treated A. claryana as a synonym of A. adenophora, it is quite possible that this report actually refers to A. claryana. Unfortunately, voucher specimens that confirm the occurrence of either of these species in Baja California have not been found. Reports from Nevada appear to be based on misidentified specimens.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species ca. 80 (12 in the flora).
There has been controversy surrounding the taxonomic status of Argythamnia. Some authors have recognized Ditaxis, which includes all of the species in the flora area, at the generic level (G. L. Webster 1994b; A. Radcliffe-Smith 2001), whereas others have treated it as a subgenus of Argythamnia (J. W. Ingram 1980; R. McVaugh 1995). There are several morphological characters that distinguish these taxa and pollen morphology supports their generic recognition (W. Punt 1962). However, recent molecular phylogenetic studies demonstrate that recognizing Ditaxis makes Argythamnia paraphyletic (Y. Ramírez-Amezcua 2011), so they are treated here as a single genus.
Argythamnia heterantha (Zuccarini) Müller Arg., from Mexico, is cultivated; the seeds are used as a saffron substitute and represent a potential resource for dye, oil, and protein (M. D. Méndez-Robles et al. 2004).
M. C. Johnston (1990) reported Argythamnia astroplethos J. W. Ingram from the Chinati Mountains, Presidio County, Texas, but no specimens were cited and none have been located. This species grows nearby in Chihuahua, Mexico, and may eventually be documented from Texas. It belongs to subgenus Chiropetalum (A. Jussieu) J. W. Ingram and can be distinguished from other Argythamnia species in the flora area by its indumentum of stellate hairs in addition to malpighiaceous hairs, tetramerous staminate flowers, and styles that are twice 2-fid.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Glands present on margins of stipules, leaf blades, bracts, and pistillate sepals. | → 2 |
2. Stems and leaves with simple hairs; margins of stipules, leaf blades, bracts, and pistillate sepals with tack-shaped glands. | A. adenophora |
2. Stems and leaves with simple and malpighiaceous hairs; margins of stipules, leaf blades, bracts, and pistillate sepals with conic glands. | A. claryana |
1. Glands absent on margins of stipules, leaf blades, bracts, and pistillate sepals. | → 3 |
3. Petioles usually absent, rarely to 4 mm on proximal leaves. | → 4 |
4. Pistillate petals 5, 2.8–3.5 mm, obovate to spatulate; stipules punctiform. | A. cyanophylla |
4. Pistillate petals 0 or 5, 0–1.7 mm, elliptic, lanceolate, linear, or punctiform; stipules elliptic, ovate, subulate, or linear-lanceolate. | → 5 |
5. Nectary glands of pistillate flowers linear, of staminate flowers linear to obovate. | A. mercurialina |
5. Nectary glands of pistillate and staminate flowers ovate or oblong. | → 6 |
6. Stamens 10; staminate petals cuneate-elliptic to cuneate-obovate; ovary tomentose to lanulose. | A. aphoroides |
6. Stamens 7–8; staminate petals elliptic; ovary strigose to hispidulous. | A. simulans |
3. Petioles present, 1–18 mm. | → 7 |
7. Plants dioecious. | → 8 |
8. Flowers usually releasing pink dye when wetted; styles pilose; staminate nectary glands 0.1–0.2 × 0.1 mm; stems and leaves densely hairy, hairs silvery. | A. argyraea |
8. Flowers without pink dye when wetted; styles glabrous; staminate nectary glands 0.3–1 × 0.2–0.4 mm; stems and leaves hairy or glabrous, hairs silvery or not. | → 9 |
9. Staminate petals free from androphore; pistillate petals elliptic to filiform, 0.3–1.7 × 0.3–0.4 mm. | A. humilis |
9. Staminate petals adnate to androphore; pistillate petals elliptic, 1.8–3 × 0.7–1.4 mm. | A. lanceolata |
7. Plants monoecious. | → 10 |
10. Staminate petals adnate to androphore. | → 11 |
11. Inflorescences 1.5–5.5 cm; staminate sepals 4–6 × 0.8–1 mm; staminate petals 5–7 × 1.2–2.5 mm; pistillate petals 5–6 × 1.5–1.6 mm; petioles 7–18 mm. | A. brandegeei |
11. Inflorescences 0.4–1.3 cm; staminate sepals 2–3 × 0.5–0.8 mm; staminate petals 2.1–3.4 × 0.7–1.2 mm; pistillate petals 1.5–3 × 0.6–1.4 mm; petioles 1–5 mm. | → 12 |
12. Stigmas terete or slightly flattened; pistillate petals 1.5–1.8 × 0.6–1 mm; Florida. | A. argothamnoides |
12. Stigmas flattened; pistillate petals 1.8–3 × 0.7–1.4 mm; Arizona, California. | A. lanceolata |
10. Staminate petals free from androphore. | → 13 |
13. Stigmas terete; staminate sepals 0.9–2.5 mm. | A. serrata |
13. Stigmas flattened; staminate sepals 2–5 mm. | → 14 |
14. Flowers usually releasing pink dye when wetted; staminate nectary glands ovate, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1 mm. | A. argyraea |
14. Flowers not releasing pink dye when wetted; staminate nectary glands ovate to linear, 0.4–0.8 × 0.2–0.3 mm. | A. humilis |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
