Flora of North America species comparison

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Chaenactis artemisiifolia

Chaenactis macrantha

artemisia leaf chaenactis, white pincushion

big-head dusty maidens, bighead dustymaiden, large-flower chaenactis, Mohave pincushion, Mojave pincushion, showy dustymaidens
Habit Plants (15–)25–90(–200) cm. Plants 5–25(–35) cm; proximal indument grayish, arachnoid-sericeous to closely lanuginose (sometimes tardily glabrescent).
Stems

mostly 1–5;

branches mainly proximal.
Leaves

basal (withering) and cauline, 3–15(–20) cm;

largest blades ± plane, not succulent;

primary lobes mostly 5–10 pairs, ultimate lobes ± crowded, antrorse, lanceolate to elliptic, plane.

basal (withering) and cauline, 1.5–7 cm;

largest blades ± elliptic to ovate, ± plane, not succulent, 1(–2)-pinnately lobed (± gland-dotted beneath indument);

primary lobes mostly 2–5 pairs, ± remote, ultimate lobes ± plane.
Peduncles

1.5–6 cm.

1.5–8 cm, arachnoid-sericeous to thinly lanuginose distally, not stipitate-glandular.
Involucres

± hemispheric, mostly 10–15 mm diam.

± obconic to broadly cylindric.
Receptacles

paleae 0.

Florets

corollas (nocturnal) white to pinkish or cream, 9–12(–15) mm (lengths 1.8–2.2 times cypselae; anthers ± included);

peripheral corollas nocturnally spreading, actinomorphic, scarcely enlarged.
Corollas

5–7 mm.

Phyllaries

longest 7–10(–12) mm, ± densely villous, not or sparsely glandular;

apices (all) erect, ± green, acute or scarcely acuminate, not aristate, ± plane.

longest 12–18 mm;

outer arachnoid-sericeous to thinly lanuginose in fruit, not stipitate-glandular, apices ± squarrose, blunt, pliant.
Heads

(± radiant, nocturnally), mostly 1–5(–7) per stem (nodding in bud).
Cypselae

compressed, 4–7 mm;

pappi 0 or coroniform (of ± 10 scales, longest 0.1–0.5 mm).

5–6(–7) mm;

pappi of 8 scales in 2, abruptly unequal series, longest scales 5–7 mm.
2n

= 16.

= 12.

Chaenactis artemisiifolia

Chaenactis macrantha
Phenology Flowering Apr–early Jul. Flowering Mar–early Jul.
Habitat Dry canyons, open slopes, often over granitoid rocks, locally abundant in chaparral burns or other recovering disturbances Open, loose, light-colored, silty, usually calcareous or alkaline, desert soils, often covered by or mixed with gravel
Elevation 80–1600 m (300–5200 ft) 600–2200 m (2000–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; OR; UT
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the flora area, Chaenactis artemisiifolia is known from the Transverse and Peninsular ranges and seaward valleys of southwestern California. It is fire-adapted; its germination is significantly enhanced by exposure to biomass smoke (J. E. Keeley and C. J. Fotheringham 1998).

Chaenactis lacera Greene, the eighteenth species of the genus, is known from coastal portions (including islands) of the western Vizcaíno Desert in Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico. Forms of C. artemisiifolia sometimes resemble C. lacera in coastal southern California (P. Stockwell 1940), where C. lacera could eventually be introduced. Besides the key characteristics above, C. lacera differs from C. artemisiifolia by its largest leaf blades broadly ± elliptic, 2–3-pinnately lobed, ultimate lobes remote, recurved to retrorse, ± linear, involute (leaf blades appearing ± skeletal).

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

Though the derived floral features of Chaenactis macrantha obscure its relationships, it may represent a link between sect. Chaenactis (annuals; pappus scales in regular, often strongly reduced series) and sect. Macrocarphus (leaf blades gland-dotted). Resemblance of its heads, leaves, and indument to those of C. thompsonii and relatives is striking. It appears to form no natural hybrids, perhaps because of its nocturnal corollas.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 402. FNA vol. 21, p. 410.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Acarphaea Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Chaenactis
Sibling taxa
C. alpigena, C. carphoclinia, C. cusickii, C. douglasii, C. evermannii, C. fremontii, C. glabriuscula, C. macrantha, C. nevadensis, C. nevii, C. parishii, C. santolinoides, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. thompsonii, C. xantiana
C. alpigena, C. artemisiifolia, C. carphoclinia, C. cusickii, C. douglasii, C. evermannii, C. fremontii, C. glabriuscula, C. nevadensis, C. nevii, C. parishii, C. santolinoides, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. thompsonii, C. xantiana
Synonyms Acarphaea artemisiifolia
Name authority (Harvey & A. Gray) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 74. (1874) D. C. Eaton: in S. Watson, Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 171, plate 18, figs. 1–5. (1871)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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