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

splitleaf brickellbush

hollyleaf brickellbush, pungent brickellbush, spear leaf brickellia, spearleaf brickellbush

Habit Shrubs, 60–120 cm. Shrubs, 20–50 cm.
Stems

much branched, pubescent, gland-dotted.

densely branched, glandular-puberulent.

Leaves

alternate;

petioles 2–5 mm;

blades 3-nerved from bases, oblong to broadly ovate, 6–15 × 5–9 mm, bases narrowly cuneate, margins irregularly dentate, apices acute to obtuse, faces sparsely pubescent, gland-dotted.

opposite or alternate;

petioles 0–3 mm;

blades 3–4-nerved from bases (veins prominent), deltate, lanceolate, or ovate, 10–50 × 5–25 mm, bases acute to truncate or cordate, margins usually sharply dentate or dentate-serrate, rarely entire, apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous or strigose and minutely glandular-puberulent.

Peduncles

0.5–2.5 mm, glandular-viscid.

10–70 mm, hispid to hispidulous and stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

cylindric, 6–8 mm.

cylindric to broadly campanulate, 9–15 mm.

Florets

8–14;

corollas pale yellow-green, often purple-tinged, 4.8–5.7 mm.

40–90;

corollas pale yellow-green or cream, often purple-tinged, 6–8 mm.

Phyllaries

15–25 in 4–6 series, stramineous, 3–5-striate, unequal, (gland-dotted) margins scarious (apices obtuse to acute);

outer ovate, inner lanceolate.

24–33 in 3–4 series, green, 3–16-striate, subequal or unequal, margins narrowly scarious (apices acute to acuminate);

outer (often bright green, 4–16-striate) lance-linear, linear-ovate, or broadly ovate, inner (pale green, 3–4-striate) linear or narrowly lanceolate (often chartaceous, scabrellous, often glandular).

Heads

in (leafy) paniculiform or racemiform arrays.

in open, paniculiform arrays.

Cypselae

2.5–3 mm, sparsely pubescent or strigose;

pappi of 24–28 tawny, barbellate bristles.

3–5.5 mm, scabrellous;

pappi of 18–25 smooth or barbellulate bristles.

2n

= 18.

Brickellia laciniata

Brickellia atractyloides

Phenology Flowering Aug–Nov.
Habitat Dry slopes, streambeds (arroyos)
Elevation 1300–1900 m (4300–6200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
NM; TX; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NV; UT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

All three varieties of Brickellia atractyloides often intergrade and are not readily distinguished in some cases.

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

Key
1. Phyllaries: outer broadly ovate
var. atractyloides
1. Phyllaries: outer lance-ovate to lance-linear
→ 2
2. Phyllaries, outer: margins ± entire
var. arguta
2. Phyllaries, outer: margins dentate
var. odontolepis
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 502. FNA vol. 21, p. 494.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Brickellia Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Brickellia
Sibling taxa
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. lemmonii, B. longifolia, B. microphylla, B. nevinii, B. oblongifolia, B. parvula, B. pringlei, B. rusbyi, B. simplex, B. venosa, B. veronicifolia
B. amplexicaulis, 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
Subordinate taxa
B. atractyloides var. arguta, B. atractyloides var. atractyloides, B. atractyloides var. odontolepis
Name authority A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 87. (1852) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 290. (1870)
Web links