Flora of North America species comparison

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Chaenactis fremontii

desert pincushion, Fremont pincushion, Fremont's pincushion, pincushion flower
Habit Plants 10–30(–40) cm; proximal indument glabrescent (early ± arachnoid, glabrous by flowering).
Stems

mostly 1–12;

branches mainly proximal.
Leaves

basal (withering) and ± cauline, 1–7(–10) cm;

largest blades linear and terete or ± elliptic and plane, ± succulent, 0–1-pinnately lobed;

lobes 1–2(–5) pairs, remote, ± terete.
Peduncles

2–8(–10) cm, distally usually ± stipitate-glandular and, sometimes, ± arachnoid (at least early, often glabrescent by fruit).
Involucres

± hemispheric to obconic (bases pale and ± truncate in fruit).
Florets

corollas white to pinkish, 5–8 mm (inner);

peripheral corollas spreading, zygomorphic, enlarged.
Phyllaries

longest 8–10(–12) mm;

outer usually glabrescent in fruit, apices erect, acute, ± rigid.
Heads

(± radiant) mostly 1–5 per stem.
Cypselae

(3–)6–8 mm;

pappi of (1–)4(–5) scales in 1 series, longest scales 6–8.5 mm, lengths 1–1.3 times corollas (apices visible among corollas at flowering).
2n

= 10.

Chaenactis fremontii
Phenology Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Sandy or gravelly soils, warm deserts, often growing through shrubs
Elevation -10–1600 m (-0–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Chaenactis fremontii is often the most abundant spring wildflower in the lower Mojave and northern Sonoran deserts, where it is reported to be a significant food source for desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii Cooper). It also extends seaward into the southern San Joaquin Valley area of west-central California, often as hybrids with other taxa (see sectional discussion).

The involucre bases described above are characteristic of Chaenactis fremontii and can help separate it from some forms of C. stevioides.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 414.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Chaenactis
Sibling taxa
C. alpigena, C. artemisiifolia, C. carphoclinia, C. cusickii, C. douglasii, C. evermannii, C. glabriuscula, C. macrantha, C. nevadensis, C. nevii, C. parishii, C. santolinoides, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. thompsonii, C. xantiana
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 30. (1883)
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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