The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

desert silverbush

silky silverbush, silvery wild-Mercury

Habit Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, monoecious, to 10 dm. Herbs, perennial, dioecious, rarely monoecious, to 3.5 dm.
Stems

erect, hairy, hairs simple and malpighiaceous.

erect, densely hairy, hairs silvery, 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, 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

bisexual, to 0.5 cm;

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

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

without pink dye when wetted.

usually releasing 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 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 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 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

3–4.5 mm, hispidulous.

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

Seeds

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

2.3–2.5 mm, finely papillate.

Argythamnia claryana

Argythamnia argyraea

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr and Oct–Nov. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Desert scrub, rocky soils, basaltic hills. Shortgrass grasslands or open shrublands on whitish, clay soils.
Elevation 60–900 m. (200–3000 ft.) 100–400 m. (300–1300 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.)

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.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 176. FNA vol. 12, p. 175.
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. aphoroides, A. argothamnoides, A. brandegeei, A. claryana, A. cyanophylla, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata, A. simulans
Synonyms Ditaxis claryana
Name authority Jepson: Fl. Calif. 2: 419. (1936) — (as clariana) Cory: Madroño 8: 92. (1945)
Web links