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desert silverbush

Hill country silverbush

Habit Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, monoecious, to 10 dm. Herbs, perennial, monoecious or dioecious, to 5 dm.
Stems

erect, hairy, hairs simple and malpighiaceous.

erect to ascending, hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

Leaves

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.

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.

Inflorescences

bisexual, to 0.5 cm;

bracts ovate, 2–3 mm, margins with conic glands.

unisexual, 3–8 cm;

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

Flowers

without pink dye when wetted.

without pink dye when wetted.

Staminate flowers

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 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.

Pistillate flowers

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 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.

Capsules

3–4.5 mm, hispidulous.

7–9 mm, tomentose to lanulose.

Seeds

2.5–3 mm, with shallow depressions, lightly striate.

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

Argythamnia claryana

Argythamnia aphoroides

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr and Oct–Nov. Flowering Jan–Jul.
Habitat Desert scrub, rocky soils, basaltic hills. Bluestem-grama grasslands, oak woodlands, calcareous, often rocky, clay or loam soils.
Elevation 60–900 m. (200–3000 ft.) 300–600 m. (1000–2000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Argythamnia aphoroides is restricted to the Edwards Plateau.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 176. FNA vol. 12, p. 174.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia
Sibling taxa
A. adenophora, A. aphoroides, A. argothamnoides, A. argyraea, A. brandegeei, A. cyanophylla, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata, A. simulans
A. adenophora, A. argothamnoides, A. argyraea, A. brandegeei, A. claryana, A. cyanophylla, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata, A. simulans
Synonyms Ditaxis claryana Ditaxis aphoroides
Name authority Jepson: Fl. Calif. 2: 419. (1936) — (as clariana) Müller Arg.: Linnaea 34: 146. (1865) — (as Argyrothamnia)
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