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

Coulter's brickellbush

brickellbush, brickellia, tassel-flower, thoroughwort

Habit Shrubs, 30–150 cm. Annuals, perennials, subshrubs, or shrubs, (12–)30–120(–200) cm.
Stems

much branched from bases, pubescent, often gland-dotted.

mostly erect, often much branched (sometimes virgate, often striate).

Leaves

opposite;

petioles 4–12 mm;

blades 3-nerved from bases, broadly ovate to deltate, 10–60 × 10–30 mm, bases truncate, hastate, or subcordate, margins usually toothed (1–3 sets of sharp teeth near bases), rarely subentire, apices attenuate, faces minutely pubescent.

cauline; opposite or alternate; petiolate or sessile;

blades usually 3-nerved from bases, deltate, lance-elliptic, lance-linear, lanceolate, lance-ovate, lance-rhombic, linear, oblong, obovate, ovate, rhombic-ovate, spatulate, or suborbiculate, margins mostly crenate, dentate, entire, laciniate-dentate, lobed, serrate, or toothed, faces glabrous (sometimes shiny) or glandular-puberulent, strigose, or tomentose, sometimes gland-dotted.

Peduncles

5–40 mm, pubescent and sometimes gland-dotted.

Involucres

cylindric to campanulate, 8–12 mm.

cylindric to obconic or campanulate, 5–12 mm diam.

Receptacles

flat to convex, epaleate.

Florets

13–25;

corollas pale yellow-green, often purple-tinged, 7–8.2 mm.

(3–)8–45(–90);

corollas usually white or whitish to cream, sometimes greenish, purplish or yellowish, throats mostly cylindric to narrowly funnelform (lengths 3–5 times diams.);

styles: bases enlarged, hairy, branches narrowly clavate (± dilated distally).

Phyllaries

17–22 in 4–6 series, greenish, often purple-tinged, 4–5-striate, unequal, margins scarious (apices acute to acuminate or mucronate, minutely pubescent);

outer lance-ovate to narrowly lanceolate (glabrous or sparsely pubescent), inner narrowly lanceolate to linear (glabrous).

persistent, (10–)14–45(–60) in 3–7(–9) series, usually (4–)5–6(–16)-striate or -nerved, linear or lanceolate to oblanceolate or oblong, usually unequal (usually chartaceous, sometimes herbaceous).

Heads

in loose, paniculiform arrays.

usually in corymbiform, sometimes cymiform, paniculiform, or racemiform, arrays, rarely borne singly.

Cypselae

3–5 mm, hispidulous, strigose, or glandular-pubescent;

pappi of 28–40 smooth or barbellulate bristles.

narrowly prismatic, 10-ribbed, glabrous or hairy to glabrate, often gland-dotted;

pappi persistent, of 10–80 usually smooth or barbellulate to barbellate, sometimes plumose or subplumose bristles in 1 series.

x

= 9.

Brickellia coulteri

Brickellia

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
North America; Mexico; Central America
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (2 in the flora}.

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

Species ca. 100 (32 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Midstem leaf blades mostly 40–60 mm; peduncles mostly 15–40 mm, mostly glandular-pubescent
var. coulteri
1. Midstem leaf blades mostly 20–40(–50) mm; peduncles 5–25 mm, pubescent, mostly lacking glandular hairs
var. brachiata
1. Pappi usually of plumose or subplumose, sometimes barbellate, bristles
→ 2
1. Pappi usually of smooth or barbellulate to barbellate, sometimes subplumose, bristles
→ 4
2. Phyllaries puberulent, often densely gland-dotted as well
B. eupatorioides
2. Phyllaries glabrous or puberulent (not gland-dotted)
→ 3
3. Stems (at least distally) pubescent (lacking relatively long, gland-tipped hairs); florets9–12
B. brachyphylla
3. Stems (at least distally) stipitate-glandular (hairs relatively long); florets 11–22
B. hinckleyi
4. Florets (40–)45–90
→ 5
4. Florets 3–30(–50)
→ 9
5. Stems and leaves densely white-tomentose
B. incana
5. Stems and leaves glabrous or glandular-puberulent, puberulent, pubescent, stipitate-glandular, strigose, villous, or viscid-glandular, often gland-dotted as well (not tomentose)
→ 6
6. Shrubs; leaf margins usually sharply dentate or dentate-serrate, rarely entire;outer phyllaries ovate, lance-ovate, or lance-linear
B. atractyloides
6. Perennials (caudices woody); leaf margins crenate, crenate-dentate, dentate, or serrate; outer phyllaries lance-ovate to narrowly lanceolate
→ 7
7. Peduncles 0–2 mm; involucres 14–18 mm; cypselae 5.5–7 mm
B. greenei
7. Peduncles 4–50 mm; involucres 7–14 mm; cypselae 4–5 mm
→ 8
8. Petioles 10–70 mm; peduncles 4–30 mm; involucres 7–12 mm; phyllaries 30–40; corollas 6.5–7.5 mm
B. grandiflora
8. Petioles 3–20 mm; peduncles 20–50 mm; involucres 12–14 mm; phyllaries 40–60; corollas 9–10 mm
B. simplex
9. Florets 3–7
→ 10
9. Florets 8–30(–50)
→ 11
10. Leaf blades lance-elliptic, lance-ovate, lanceolate, lance-linear, or linear, margins entire or nearly so, faces gland-dotted (and shiny), often puberulent as well
B. longifolia
10. Leaf blades lance-ovate to lanceolate, margins dentate to serrate, faces gland-dotted and sparsely pubescent (not shiny)
B. knappiana
11. Petioles 4–70 mm
→ 12
11. Petioles 0–5 mm
→ 19
12. Leaf apices acuminate or long-acuminate to attenuate
→ 13
12. Leaf apices acute to obtuse or rounded
→ 16
13. Phyllaries, outer: apices obtuse to acute (cypselae 2–2.5 mm)
B. rusbyi
13. Phyllaries, outer: apices acute, acuminate, or mucronate
→ 14
14. Shrubs; leaf margins subentire or ± toothed (usually with 1–3 sets of sharp teeth near bases); phyllaries 17–22
B. coulteri
14. Perennials; leaf margins crenate, dentate, or serrate; phyllaries 28–40
→ 15
15. Heads (erect in fruit) in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays; corollas pale yellow-green, often purple-tinged, 6–7.2 mm; pappi of 38–46 purple-tinged bristles
B. cordifolia
15. Heads (nodding in flower and fruit) in loose, corymbiform or paniculiform arrays; corollas pale yellow-green; pappi of 20–30white bristles
B. grandiflora
16. Perennials; stems and peduncles stipitate-glandular
→ 17
16. Shrubs; stems and peduncles pubescent or glandular-pubescent
→ 18
17. Leaf bases rounded to cuneate; petioles 4–10 mm; phyllaries: outer ovate to lance-ovate or lanceolate (equaling or surpassing inner,glabrous or sparsely glandular-hirtellous)
B. chenopodina
17. Leaf bases truncate to cordate; petioles 20–35 mm; phyllaries: outerovate to lanceolate (shorter than inner, glandular-hirtellous)
B. floribunda
18. Leaves: bases cuneate, margins laciniate-dentate; peduncles 5–40 mm
B. baccharidea
18. Leaves: bases cordate to truncate, margins crenate to serrate; peduncles 1–5 mm
B. californica
19. Leaves opposite
→ 20
19. Leaves alternate
→ 28
20. Stems and leaves mostly puberulent to pubescent, sometimes gland-dotted (not glandular-pubescent or stipitate-glandular)
→ 21
20. Stems and leaves pubescent, puberulent, or tomentulose and gland-dotted, glandular-pubescent, or stipitate-glandular
→ 22
21. Perennials mostly 30–90 cm; leaf blades oblong, obovate, or ovate,(15–)30–80 × 10–35 mm
B. betonicifolia
21. Perennials 12–30 cm; leaf blades deltate-ovate to lanceolate, 7–30 × 4–28 mm
B. parvula
22. Shrubs; leaf blades mostly 3–15 mm; peduncles 0–3 mm
→ 23
22. Perennials; leaf blades (2–)15–160 mm; peduncles (1–)3–150 mm (if less than 3 mm, bracteate)
→ 24
23. Phyllaries 20–24; florets 8–12
B. desertorum
23. Phyllaries 35–40; florets 18–33
B. veronicifolia
24. Leaf blades oblong to linear, 2–10 mm wide, margins entire ordentate; peduncles (20–)30–150 mm
B. venosa
24. Leaf blades elliptic, lanceolate, oblong, obovate, ovate, or subdeltate, mostly 10–75 mm wide, margins crenate to serrate; peduncles 1–15(–25) mm
→ 25
25. Peduncles (bracteate) 1–8 mm; involucres 13–15 mm; phyllar-ies 34–40
B. pringlei
25. Peduncles 2–15(–25) mm; involucres 8–13 mm; phyllaries 18–24
→ 26
26. Leaf bases rounded to cordate (clasping); peduncles densely stipitate-glandular
B. amplexicaulis
26. Leaf bases ± cuneate; peduncles densely tomentose, often gland-dotted as well
→ 27
27. Phyllaries 18–22 in 5–7 series (lengths in outer 2–3series no more than 1/2 inner)
B. cylindracea
27. Phyllaries 18–20 in 3–4(–5) series (lengths in outer series grading to inner)
B. lemmonii
28. Leaf blades oblong or spatulate, 1–4 mm wide
B. frutescens
28. Leaf blades cordate, elliptic, lance-linear, lanceolate, lance-ovate, oblong, obovate, ovate, rhombic-ovate, subdeltate, or suborbiculate, (3–)10–100 mm wide
→ 29
29. Florets 25–50; leaf blades elliptic, oblong, or lance-linear, margins entire
B. oblongifolia
29. Florets 8–25(–45); leaf blades cordate, lanceolate, lance-ovate, oblong, obovate, ovate, rhombic-ovate, or suborbiculate, margins entire or dentate
→ 30
30. Leaf blades elliptic, lanceolate, lance-ovate, obovate, ovate, or subdeltate
→ 31
30. Leaf blades mostly cordate or ovate to suborbiculate (if oblong, peduncles viscid or glandular-villous)
→ 33
31. Shrubs; cypselae usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent
B. dentata
31. Perennials; cypselae sparsely to densely pubescent
→ 32
32. Phyllaries 18–22 in 5–7 series (lengths of outers to 1/2 inners)
B. cylindracea
32. Phyllaries 18–20 in 3–4(–5) series (lengths of outers evenly grading to inners)
B. lemmonii
33. Stems and leaves tomentose or densely puberulent, often gland-dotted as well
→ 34
33. Stems and leaves sparsely pubescent to hispidulous, often gland-dotted or glandular-villous as well
→ 35
34. Involucres 8–10 mm; phyllaries 20–24; florets 8–12
B. desertorum
34. Involucres mostly 10–12 mm; phyllaries 30–38; florets 20–24
B. nevinii
35. Peduncles 0.5–2.5 mm, glandular-viscid; phyllaries 15–25
B. laciniata
35. Peduncles (bracteate) 2–10 mm, viscid to glandular-villous; phyllaries 30–48
B. microphylla
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 496. FNA vol. 21, p. 491. Author: Randall W. Scott.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Brickellia Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae
Sibling taxa
B. amplexicaulis, B. atractyloides, B. baccharidea, B. betonicifolia, B. brachyphylla, B. californica, B. chenopodina, B. cordifolia, B. cylindracea, B. dentata, B. desertorum, B. eupatorioides, B. floribunda, B. frutescens, B. grandiflora, B. greenei, B. hinckleyi, B. incana, B. knappiana, B. laciniata, B. lemmonii, B. longifolia, B. microphylla, B. nevinii, B. oblongifolia, B. parvula, B. pringlei, B. rusbyi, B. simplex, B. venosa, B. veronicifolia
Subordinate taxa
B. coulteri var. brachiata, B. coulteri var. coulteri
B. amplexicaulis, B. atractyloides, B. baccharidea, B. betonicifolia, B. brachyphylla, B. californica, B. chenopodina, B. cordifolia, B. coulteri, B. cylindracea, B. dentata, B. desertorum, B. eupatorioides, B. floribunda, B. frutescens, B. grandiflora, B. greenei, B. hinckleyi, B. incana, B. knappiana, B. laciniata, B. lemmonii, B. longifolia, B. microphylla, B. nevinii, B. oblongifolia, B. parvula, B. pringlei, B. rusbyi, B. simplex, B. venosa, B. veronicifolia
Name authority A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 86. (1852) Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 2: 290. (1823)
Web links