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

Douglas' falsewillow, marsh baccharis, salt marsh baccharis

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

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

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

Leaves

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.

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.

Involucres

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

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

Pistillate florets

50–150;

corollas 2–3.5 mm.

80–150;

corollas 1.7–3 mm.

Staminate florets

(10–)17–48;

corollas 4–6 mm.

26–40;

corollas 3.5–4 mm.

Phyllaries

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).

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

Heads

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

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

Cypselae

0.8–1.5 mm, 5-nerved, glabrous;

pappi 3–6 mm.

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

pappi 2.6–4(–7) mm.

2n

= 18, 36.

= 18.

Baccharis salicifolia

Baccharis glutinosa

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

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.)

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.)

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 31. 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. 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
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
Synonyms Molina salicifolia, B. viminea, B. viminea var. atwoodii B. douglasii
Name authority (Ruiz & Pavón) Persoon: Syn. Pl. 2: 425. (1807) Persoon: Sym. Pl. 2: 425. (1807)
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