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stinking brickellbush

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

Habit Perennials, 60–120 cm (bases woody). Shrubs, 20–50 cm.
Stems

branched, puberulent, gland-dotted.

densely branched, glandular-puberulent.

Leaves

alternate;

petioles 10–50 mm;

blades 3-nerved from bases, deltate or rhombic-ovate, 50–100 × 20–50 mm, bases acute to truncate, margins crenate or coarsely dentate, apices long-acuminate, abaxial faces sparsely villous, gland-dotted, adaxial faces glabrous or sparsely pubescent, often 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

4–6 mm, puberulent, sparsely gland-dotted.

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

Involucres

cylindric to campanulate, 7–10 mm.

cylindric to broadly campanulate, 9–15 mm.

Florets

13–20;

corollas yellowish, 5.3–6.5 mm.

40–90;

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

Phyllaries

22–26 in 4–7 series, 3–5-striate, unequal, margins scarious (apices obtuse to acute);

outer ovate to lanceolate (often purple-tinged, glabrous or puberulent), inner linear to oblong (greenish, glabrous).

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 paniculiform arrays.

in open, paniculiform arrays.

Cypselae

2–2.5 mm, sericeous;

pappi of 26–32 white, barbellate bristles.

3–5.5 mm, scabrellous;

pappi of 18–25 smooth or barbellulate bristles.

2n

= 18.

Brickellia rusbyi

Brickellia atractyloides

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Rocky slopes, shaded areas
Elevation 1500–2500 m (4900–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NV; UT; nw Mexico
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Brickellia rusbyi has been considered ill-smelling.

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

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. 506. 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. laciniata, B. lemmonii, B. longifolia, B. microphylla, B. nevinii, B. oblongifolia, B. parvula, B. pringlei, 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: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(2): 106. (1884) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 290. (1870)
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