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

Douglas' falsewillow, marsh baccharis, salt marsh baccharis

mule's fat, mule-fat, seepwillow, water wally

Habit Perennials, 60–210 cm (rhizoma-tous, forming colonies). Shrubs, 30–400 cm (stems clustered).
Stems

erect to ascending, striate, glabrous, gland-dotted, resinous.

spreading to ascending, green to tan, simple proximally, sparingly branched distally, striate-angled, glabrous or minutely hairy, resinous and ± resin-varnished.

Leaves

present at flowering; short-petiolate;

blades (1- or 3-nerved, larger prominently 3-nerved) lanceolate, 50–130 × 8–30 mm, bases tapered to petioles, margins entire or finely dentate, apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous, black gland-dotted.

present at flowering (abundant, well developed);

sessile or petiolate;

blades lanceolate-elliptic, slightly falcate (willowlike), 30–150 × 3–20 mm, bases attenuate, margins usually finely serrate from bases to apices, sometimes entire, apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous, gland-dotted, ± resinous.

Involucres

hemispheric; staminate 3.5–5 mm, pistillate 3.8–4.8(–6) mm.

hemispheric; staminate 3–6 mm, pistillate involucres 3–6 mm.

Pistillate florets

80–150;

corollas 1.7–3 mm.

50–150;

corollas 2–3.5 mm.

Staminate florets

26–40;

corollas 3.5–4 mm.

(10–)17–48;

corollas 4–6 mm.

Phyllaries

narrowly lanceolate, 2–4 mm, inner series ± equal, margins yellowish, medians green to purplish, apices acuminate, erose or ciliate, faces glabrous, gland-dotted, resinous.

ovate to lanceolate, 2–4 mm, margins scarious, erose or irregularly dentate, midribs distinct, medians green or reddish, apices (greenish or brownish purple) obtuse to acuminate (pale and dry, glabrous).

Heads

in dense, terminal, flat-topped, corymbiform arrays.

in terminal, compound corymbiform arrays (often involving distal branches).

Cypselae

0.6–1.5 mm, 5-nerved, glandular, hispidulous distally;

pappi 2.6–4(–7) mm.

0.8–1.5 mm, 5-nerved, glabrous;

pappi 3–6 mm.

2n

= 18.

= 18, 36.

Baccharis glutinosa

Baccharis salicifolia

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct (all year). Flowering (Jan–)Mar–Oct.
Habitat Moist salt marshes, coastal strands, stream edges, hillsides, railroads Stream banks, dry washes, sandy flood plains, riparian woodlands, disturbed sites, ditches
Elevation 0–1200 m (0–3900 ft) 30–2400 m (100–7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico; South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Occurring along the coast and in interior valleys, Baccharis glutinosa is recognized by the erect, simple stems growing in patches from rhizomes, large lanceolate leaves with three veins and blackish glandular dots, heads in dense, compact, terminal, corymbiform arrays and more or less uniform inner phyllaries. G. L. Nesom (1990h) noted that it is similar to forms of the South American species Baccharis pingraea de Candolle, and that the two taxa may be conspecific.

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

Baccharis salicifolia is part of a complex that extends through the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina and Chile (J. Cuatrecasas 1968). It is recognized by the narrowly lanceolate, willowlike, finely serrate leaves with acute or acuminate apices, smallish heads in dense clusters, reddish phyllaries, and 5-nerved cypselae. By tagging and measuring individual plants throughout the year, D. H. Wilken (1972) demonstrated that B. salicifolia has distinct seasonal forms. The North American plants were once known as B. glutinosa or B. viminea, which were differentiated from each other by differences in woodiness, leaf size and serration, and flowering time.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 27. FNA vol. 20, p. 31.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Baccharis Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Baccharis
Sibling taxa
B. angustifolia, B. bigelovii, B. brachyphylla, B. dioica, B. glomeruliflora, 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. brachyphylla, B. dioica, B. glomeruliflora, B. glutinosa, B. halimifolia, B. havardii, B. malibuensis, B. neglecta, B. pilularis, B. plummerae, B. pteronioides, B. salicina, B. sarothroides, B. sergiloides, B. texana, B. thesioides, B. vanessae, B. wrightii
Synonyms B. douglasii Molina salicifolia, B. viminea, B. viminea var. atwoodii
Name authority Persoon: Sym. Pl. 2: 425. (1807) (Ruiz & Pavón) Persoon: Syn. Pl. 2: 425. (1807)
Web links