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

nodding arnica, Parry's arnica

alpine arnica, arnica lonchophylle, long-leaf arnica, northern arnica

Habit Plants 15–50(–60) cm. Plants 12–50 cm.
Stems

simple or branched among heads.

usually simple, rarely branched.

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).

3–7 pairs, mostly cauline; petiolate (petioles, at least proximal, relatively narrow, ± equaling blades);

blades narrowly to broadly lanceolate or ovate, 3.5–14 × 0.5–3.7 cm, margins regularly dentate or denticulate, apices acute, faces glabrous or moderately pilose, sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

turbinate to narrowly campanulate.

campanulate-turbinate.

Ray florets

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

6–17;

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.

6–14, lanceolate (apices acute).

Heads

(1–)3–9(–14; often nodding in bud).

3–8 (erect).

Cypselae

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

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

gray to brown, 3–6 mm, densely hirsute, sometimes stipitate-glandular;

pappi white, bristles barbellate.

2n

= 38, 57, 76.

= 38, 57, 76.

Arnica parryi

Arnica lonchophylla

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering June–Aug.
Habitat Open conifer forests to alpine meadows Dry to mesic, open montane slopes, open woodlands, stream gravels, shorelines, calcareous rocky outcrops, to lowland Arctic tundra
Elevation 500–3800 m (1600–12500 ft) 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; SD; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 373. FNA vol. 21, p. 370.
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. gracilis, A. griscomii, A. lanceolata, A. latifolia, A. lessingii, 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. alpina subsp. lonchophylla, A. angustifolia subsp. lonchophylla, A. arnoglossa, A. chionopappa, A. gaspensis, A. lonchophylla subsp. arnoglossa, A. lonchophylla subsp. chionopappa
Name authority A. Gray: Amer. Naturalist 8: 213. (1874) Greene: Pittonia 4: 164. (1900)
Web links