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stinking brickellbush

Coulter's brickellbush

Habit Perennials, 60–120 cm (bases woody). Shrubs, 30–150 cm.
Stems

branched, puberulent, gland-dotted.

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

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;

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.

Peduncles

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

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

Involucres

cylindric to campanulate, 7–10 mm.

cylindric to campanulate, 8–12 mm.

Florets

13–20;

corollas yellowish, 5.3–6.5 mm.

13–25;

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

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).

Heads

in paniculiform arrays.

in loose, paniculiform arrays.

Cypselae

2–2.5 mm, sericeous;

pappi of 26–32 white, barbellate bristles.

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

pappi of 28–40 smooth or barbellulate bristles.

2n

= 18.

Brickellia rusbyi

Brickellia coulteri

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; NM; TX; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Brickellia rusbyi has been considered ill-smelling.

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

Varieties 3 (2 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
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 506. FNA vol. 21, p. 496.
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. 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
Name authority A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(2): 106. (1884) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 3(5): 86. (1852)
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