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dense ayenia, little-leaf ayenia, shrubby ayenia

Habit Shrubs, erect or spreading, 0.2–0.6 m. Stems hairy, hairs stellate, arms appressed. Shrubs, erect, to 2 m. Stems densely stellate-hairy to glabrate, hairs simple, fasciculate, and/or stellate, sometimes minutely stellate, not appressed.
Leaves

petiole 0.4–1.2 cm;

blades of proximal leaves orbiculate to suborbiculate, 0.5 × 0.4 cm, distal ovate to narrowly ovate, unlobed, 0.5–2.1(–3) × 0.4–1.8(–2) cm, base rounded or obscurely subcordate, margins serrate, stellate-hairy (not ciliate), apex acute to rounded, 3(–5)-veined from base, surfaces minutely, densely stellate-hairy.

petiole (0.4–)2–3.5 cm;

blade broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, slightly 3–5-lobed, 2.5–11 × (1.5–)2.5–7.5 cm, noticeably reduced in size distally on stem, base truncate to slightly cordate, margins dentate-serrate, apex acute to attenuate, 5–7-veined from base, surfaces: abaxial densely to sparingly hairy, hairs simple, bifurcate, and/or stellate, not appressed, adaxial sparingly hairy to glabrescent, hairs simple, bifurcate, and/or stellate, not appressed.

Pedicels

to 4 mm.

5–10 mm.

Flowers

sepals caducous, not reflexed at anthesis, ovate-lanceolate, 2.5–3.2 mm, densely stellate-pubescent abaxially;

petal claws 4 mm, lamina reniform-deltate, 1.4–1.6 × 1.5 mm, base lobed, lobes ± rectangular, margins entire, apex with 2 widely spaced teeth, surfaces glabrous, abaxial appendage absent;

androgynophore 0.5–1 mm;

stamen filaments present;

stigmas scarcely exserted.

sepals caducous, not present in young fruit, reflexed at anthesis, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 3–3.5 mm, sparingly stellate-hairy abaxially;

petal claws 2–2.5 mm, lamina ± rhombic, 1 × 1–1.5 mm, base deeply lobed, lobes oblong, margins erose, apex entire, glabrous, abaxial appendage absent;

androgynophore 0.5–1 mm;

stamen filaments absent;

stigmas slightly exserted.

Capsules

subspheric, 4–5 × 4–5 mm, puberulent to densely stellate-pubescent, prickles 0.5 mm.

oblate to subspheric, 6 × 7 mm, densely short stellate-pubescent, prickles 0.5–1 mm.

Seeds

3 mm, tuberculate.

4 mm, tuberculate.

Cymes

axillary, borne on short shoots (brachyblasts), 1- or 2-flowered;

peduncle to 4 mm.

axillary or terminal, not borne on short shoots (brachyblasts), 3–5-flowered;

peduncle 10–20 mm.

Ayenia microphylla

Ayenia jaliscana

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–early fall. Flowering and fruiting late summer–early winter.
Habitat Dry limestone, igneous rocky slopes Rocky slopes, canyon bottoms, desert grasslands
Elevation 600–1400 m (2000–4600 ft) 1100–1200 m (3600–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Coahuila)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ayenia microphylla can be distinguished from other Ayenia species in the flora area by the presence of short shoots (brachyblasts) from which leaves and inflorescences emerge. In Texas, the species is known from the trans-Pecos region.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 206. FNA vol. 6, p. 205.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Byttnerioideae > Ayenia Malvaceae > subfam. Byttnerioideae > Ayenia
Sibling taxa
A. compacta, A. euphrasiifolia, A. filiformis, A. jaliscana, A. limitaris, A. pilosa
A. compacta, A. euphrasiifolia, A. filiformis, A. limitaris, A. microphylla, A. pilosa
Name authority A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 24. (1852) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 26: 133. (1891)
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