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silverling

short leaf baccharis, shortleaf baccharis or false willow

Habit Shrubs, 100–300 cm (evergreen, loosely branched). Shrubs or subshrubs, 20–100 cm (finely and densely branched from bases).
Stems

erect to ascending, striate-angled, glabrous or minutely scurfy, not resinous.

erect, green, slender and wandlike, striate-angled, glabrate proximally, hispidulous distally (near heads).

Leaves

present at flowering (not in fascicles);

petioles to 7 mm;

blades obovate or elliptic to rhombic, 20–60 × 8–40 mm, leathery, bases cuneate to attenuate, margins serrate (teeth 1–3 per side distal to middles, relatively broad), apices acute, faces glabrous, abaxial black gland-dotted (distal reduced, entire), adaxial eglandular.

present at flowering (reduced, sparse);

sessile;

blades (1-nerved) linear to linear-lanceolate, 5–17 × 1–2 mm (reduced distally to subulate bracts), margins entire, apices acute, faces glabrous (sometimes minutely papillose).

Involucres

campanulate to obconic;

staminate 4–5 mm, pistillate 5–6 mm.

funnelform or campanulate;

staminate 3–5.2 mm, pistillate 4–6 mm.

Pistillate florets

15–25;

corollas 3–4 mm.

8–18;

corollas 2–2.8 mm.

Staminate florets

20–30;

corollas 4–5 mm.

(8–)12–18(–29);

corollas 3.3–4.2 mm.

Phyllaries

ovate to lanceolate, 1–4 mm, margins scarious, medians green, apices rounded or obtuse (sometimes purplish).

lanceolate, 1–4 mm, margins scarious, medians green (hispid), apices acute to acuminate.

Heads

(1–4, sessile or subsessile) in axillary glomerules scattered along branches.

(on racemiform lateral branches) in paniculiform arrays.

Cypselae

1.5–2 mm, 8–10-nerved, glabrous;

pappi 8–9 mm.

1.5–2.5 mm, 5-nerved, hispid;

pappi 4.5–7 mm.

2n

= 18.

Baccharis glomeruliflora

Baccharis brachyphylla

Phenology Flowering Oct–Nov. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Hammocks, moist woods, pine woods, swamps, swales, stream banks, ditches of inner dunes Canyons, dry washes, sandy deserts, mesas
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft) 300–1200 m (1000–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS; NC; SC
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from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; NV; TX; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Sonora)
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Discussion

Found primarily on the Coastal Plain, Baccharis glomeruliflora is recognized by the evergreen leathery leaves with broad teeth, and the small axillary glomerules of heads.

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

Baccharis brachyphylla is characterized by the densely branching habit, narrow stems, and small, linear-lanceolate leaves, and hispidulous hairs on stems, leaves, phyllaries, and cypselae.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 27. FNA vol. 20, p. 27.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Baccharis Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Baccharis
Sibling taxa
B. angustifolia, B. bigelovii, B. brachyphylla, B. dioica, B. glutinosa, B. halimifolia, B. havardii, B. malibuensis, B. neglecta, B. pilularis, B. plummerae, B. pteronioides, B. salicifolia, B. salicina, B. sarothroides, B. sergiloides, B. texana, B. thesioides, B. vanessae, B. wrightii
B. angustifolia, B. bigelovii, B. dioica, B. glomeruliflora, B. glutinosa, B. halimifolia, B. havardii, B. malibuensis, B. neglecta, B. pilularis, B. plummerae, B. pteronioides, B. salicifolia, B. salicina, B. sarothroides, B. sergiloides, B. texana, B. thesioides, B. vanessae, B. wrightii
Synonyms B. sessiliflora
Name authority Persoon: Syn. Pl. 2: 423. (1807) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 83. (1853)
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