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nodding arnica, Parry's arnica

slender arnica, slender leopardbane, smallhead arnica, tall mountain arnica

Habit Plants 15–50(–60) cm. Plants 10–30 cm.
Stems

simple or branched among heads.

(often 5–10 in dense clumps) branched distally.

Leaves

(2–)3–4 pairs, basal and cauline (basal usually withered by flowering, petiolate or subsessile, blades ovate or nearly round to oblong-ovate, much smaller than cauline; sterile rosettes often present, proximal cauline often crowded toward stems bases);

petiolate;

blades broadly to narrowly lanceolate, oblong-ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or round, 4–22 × 1–6 cm, (bases obtuse or cuneate to truncate) margins usually entire, sometimes sparsely denticulate, faces scantily to moderately pilose (hairs white), adaxial sparsely stipitate-glandular (distal cauline leaves sessile, extremely reduced, nearly linear to narrowly elliptic-lanceolate).

2–3 pairs, mostly cauline (basal leaves often persistent on sterile rosettes, similar to cauline leaves);

petiolate (petioles narrowly to broadly winged, distal pair of leaves often reduced, connate-perfoliate);

blades ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2–6 × 1–3 cm, margins irregularly serrate to subentire, apices acute, faces: abaxial glandular, adaxial stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

turbinate to narrowly campanulate.

turbinate-campanulate.

Ray florets

usually 0 (sometimes peripheral florets pistillate; corollas yellow, laminae rudimentary).

5–12;

corollas yellow.

Disc florets

20–50;

corollas yellow (1 or more lobes sometimes expanded, giving appearance of laminae);

anthers yellow.

corollas yellow;

anthers yellow.

Phyllaries

8–20, linear to narrowly lanceolate.

10–16, ovate-lanceolate.

Heads

(1–)3–9(–14; often nodding in bud).

(1–)5–15.

Cypselae

brown to black, 4–7 mm, glabrous or sparsely stipitate-glandular to densely hirsute;

pappi usually stramineous, rarely tawny, bristles barbellate to ± subplumose.

black, 4.5–7 mm, hairy (hairs duplex) and stipitate-glandular;

pappi white, bristles barbellate.

2n

= 38, 57, 76.

= 57, 76.

Arnica parryi

Arnica gracilis

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Open conifer forests to alpine meadows Dry, exposed, rocky, alpine slopes, sometimes subalpine meadows
Elevation 500–3800 m [1600–12500 ft] 1200–2500 m [3900–8200 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 373. FNA vol. 21, p. 376.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Arnica Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Arnica
Sibling taxa
A. acaulis, A. angustifolia, A. cernua, A. chamissonis, A. cordifolia, A. dealbata, A. discoidea, A. fulgens, A. gracilis, A. griscomii, A. lanceolata, A. latifolia, A. lessingii, A. lonchophylla, A. longifolia, A. louiseana, A. mollis, A. nevadensis, A. ovata, A. rydbergii, A. sororia, A. spathulata, A. unalaschcensis, A. venosa, A. viscosa
A. acaulis, A. angustifolia, A. cernua, A. chamissonis, A. cordifolia, A. dealbata, A. discoidea, A. fulgens, A. griscomii, A. lanceolata, A. latifolia, A. lessingii, A. lonchophylla, A. longifolia, A. louiseana, A. mollis, A. nevadensis, A. ovata, A. parryi, A. rydbergii, A. sororia, A. spathulata, A. unalaschcensis, A. venosa, A. viscosa
Synonyms A. angustifolia subsp. eradiata, A. parryi subsp. sonnei, A. parryi var. sonnei A. latifolia var. gracilis
Name authority A. Gray: Amer. Naturalist 8: 213. (1874) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 24: 297. (1897)
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