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

long-leaf arnica, seep-spring arnica, spear-leaf arnica, spear-leaf leopardbane

Habit Plants 15–50(–60) cm. Plants 30–60(–110) cm.
Stems

simple or branched among heads.

(often relatively numerous, clustered in clonal patches) simple.

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).

5–7 pairs, mostly cauline (basal leaves usually withered by flowering);

sessile or subsessile (proximalmost with connate-sheathing bases);

blades lanceolate to lance-elliptic, 5–12(–15) × 1.5–3.5 cm, margins usually entire, rarely denticulate, apices acute to acuminate, faces scabrid-puberulent, sometimes glandular (distal leaves not much reduced).

Involucres

turbinate to narrowly campanulate.

turbinate-campanulate.

Ray florets

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

6–15;

corollas yellow.

Disc florets

20–50;

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

anthers yellow.

6–11;

corollas yellow;

anthers yellow.

Phyllaries

8–20, linear to narrowly lanceolate.

11–15(–20), narrow to broadly lanceolate.

Heads

(1–)3–9(–14; often nodding in bud).

3–20(–35).

Cypselae

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

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

brown to black, 3–7 mm, glabrous or sparsely hirsutulous, stipitate-glandular;

pappi stramineous to tawny, bristles barbellate to subplumose.

2n

= 38, 57, 76.

= 57, 76.

Arnica parryi

Arnica longifolia

Phenology Flowering May–Sep. Flowering Jun–Oct.
Habitat Open conifer forests to alpine meadows Montane coniferous forests to alpine, usually moist areas, stream banks or late snow-melt areas
Elevation 500–3800 m [1600–12500 ft] 1300–3700 m [4300–12100 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 373. FNA vol. 21, p. 374.
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. lonchophylla, 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. longifolia subsp. myriadenia, A. myriadenia
Name authority A. Gray: Amer. Naturalist 8: 213. (1874) D. C. Eaton: in S. Watson, Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 186. (1871)
Web links