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little leaf brickellia, littleleaf brickellbush, small-leaf brickellbush, small-leaf brickellia

Chihuahuan brickellbush, desert brickellbush

Habit Shrubs, 30–70 cm. Perennials, 100–200 cm (bases woody).
Stems

much branched, pubescent, gland-dotted.

branched, stipitate-glandular.

Leaves

alternate;

petioles 0–3 mm;

blades 3-nerved from bases, ovate to suborbiculate, 3–20 × 1–15 mm, bases acute to obtuse or rounded, margins entire, coarsely dentate or serrate, apices rounded to acute, faces glandular-villous or hispidulous.

alternate;

petioles 20–35 mm;

blades 3-nerved from bases, deltate-ovate or rhombic-ovate, 20–140 × 10–100 mm, bases truncate to cordate, margins irregularly dentate, apices acute, faces gland-dotted or glandular-pubescent.

Peduncles

(bracteate) 2–10 mm, viscid to glandular-villous.

3–18 mm, stipitate-glandular.

Involucres

cylindric to narrowly campanulate, 7–12 mm.

cylindric to campanulate, 7.5–8.5 mm.

Florets

8–28(–34);

corollas pale yellow, often purple-tinged, 5.5–7 mm.

15–24;

corollas pale yellow-green or greenish white, 5–6.5 mm.

Phyllaries

30–48 in 5–8 series, greenish, often purple-tinged, 3–5-striate, (recurved or spreading) unequal, margins scarious (apices acute to acuminate);

outer obovate to suborbiculate (glandular-pubescent; mid sometimes 3-toothed with middle tooth elongated), inner linear-oblong (glabrous or sparsely gland-dotted).

22–26 in 5–6 series, greenish, often purple-tinged, 3–4-striate, unequal, margins narrowly scarious (apices obtuse to acute);

outer ovate to lanceolate (glandular-hirtellous, shorter than inner), inner linear-lanceolate (glabrous).

Heads

in loose, paniculiform arrays (often clustered at ends of branches).

in paniculiform arrays.

Cypselae

3.5–4.7 mm, glabrous or hirtellous;

pappi of 18–24 white, barbellulate bristles.

2–3 mm, strigose;

pappi of 30–35 white, barbellulate bristles.

2n

= 18.

Brickellia microphylla

Brickellia floribunda

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Near streams, canyon bottoms
Elevation 1100–1800 m (3600–5900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2–3 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Stems and peduncles viscid to glandular-villous; florets 15–28(–34)
var. microphylla
1. Stems and peduncles glandular-viscid; florets 8–13
var. scabra
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 503. FNA vol. 21, p. 500.
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. laciniata, B. lemmonii, B. longifolia, B. nevinii, B. oblongifolia, B. parvula, B. pringlei, B. rusbyi, B. simplex, B. venosa, B. veronicifolia
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. 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. microphylla var. microphylla, B. microphylla var. scabra
Synonyms Bulbostylis microphylla
Name authority (Nuttall) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 85. (1852) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 73. (1853)
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