Chaenactis fremontii
Asteraceae tribe Heliantheae subtribe Chaenactidinae
desert pincushion, Fremont pincushion, Fremont's pincushion, pincushion flower
mostly 1–12;
branches mainly proximal.
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.
basal, basal and cauline, or cauline; opposite or alternate; usually petiolate, sometimes sessile;
blades mostly cordate, deltate, elliptic, lanceolate, linear, oblanceolate, oblong, obovate, ovate, rhombic, or spatulate, often 1–2-pinnately or -ternately lobed (lobes mostly filiform to linear, lanceolate, or oblanceolate), ultimate margins entire or toothed, faces ± lanate to woolly, or hispidulous to scabrellous or strigose, sometimes glabrescent, sometimes stipitate-glandular, rarely glabrous, often gland-dotted.
2–8(–10) cm, distally usually ± stipitate-glandular and, sometimes, ± arachnoid (at least early, often glabrescent by fruit).
± hemispheric to obconic (bases pale and ± truncate in fruit).
campanulate to narrowly cylindric or obconic, or hemispheric to rotate.
conic, flat, or hemispheric, often knobby or pitted (sometimes hairy or gland-dotted), usually epaleate (paleae sometimes subulate scales in Chaenactis; in Bartlettia, linear, membranous, hairy scales, each appressed to and shed with an associated cypsela may be interpreted as paleae).
corollas white to pinkish, 5–8 mm (inner);
peripheral corollas spreading, zygomorphic, enlarged.
0 (corollas of peripheral florets sometimes notably larger than those of the inner, then zygomorphic, showy, and somewhat raylike, e.g., Chaenactis spp.) or (1–)4–21(–60+), pistillate, fertile;
corollas yellow, orange, red, purplish, or whitish (persistent, marcescent in Arnica dealbata).
4–200+, usually bisexual, fertile (functionally staminate in Arnica dealbata);
corollas yellow, orange, purplish, or whitish, usually hairy and/or gland-dotted or stipitate-glandular, tubes shorter than to longer than cylindric or campanulate to funnelform throats, lobes 5, deltate to linear;
anther thecae pale;
stigmatic papillae in 2 lines.
longest 8–10(–12) mm;
outer usually glabrescent in fruit, apices erect, acute, ± rigid.
usually persistent, 4–60+ in 1–4+ series (usually erect at flowering, usually reflexed in fruit, usually distinct, basally coherent in some Arnica spp., mostly lance-ovate, linear, or ovate, unequal to subequal, mostly herbaceous to membranous, outer foliaceous in Venegasia).
usually 0 (sometimes 1–3 bractlets in Schkuhria).
(± radiant) mostly 1–5 per stem.
usually radiate, sometimes discoid, rarely radiant (Chaenactis spp.), borne singly, or in clusters, or in corymbiform, cymiform, or paniculiform arrays.
(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).
mostly obpyramidal and 4–5-angled, sometimes clavate, columnar, cylindric, or fusiform, sometimes compressed and ± linear (e.g., Chaenactis, Hulsea) or obcompressed (e.g., Arnica dealbata, Bartlettia; lengths usually 3+ times diams.), faces usually hairy and/or gland-dotted;
pappi falling, fragile, or persistent, usually of 6–80 distinct or basally connate bristles, or of 4–20 distinct (or basally connate) scales, all, some, or none aristate, sometimes pappi none.
= 10.
Chaenactis fremontii
Asteraceae tribe Heliantheae subtribe Chaenactidinae
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.)
Genera 25, species 129 (19 genera, 83 species in the flora).
The circumscription of Chaenactidinae used here (that of H. Robinson 1981) contrasts sharply with that of B. G. Baldwin (Baldwin and B. L. Wessa 2000; Baldwin et al. 2002). Baldwin included Chaenactis, Dimeresia (here segregated in Dimeresiinae), and Orochaenactis in his Chaenactidinae (as sole subtribe in his Chaenactideae) and placed other genera of Chaenactidinae in the sense of Robinson as follows: Amauriopsis, Bahia, Bartlettia, Chamaechaenactis, Florestina, Hymenothrix, Palafoxia, Peucephyllum, Picradeniopsis, Platyschkuhria, Psathyrotopsis, and Schkuhria in Bahiinae (in Bahieae); Arnica in Arnicinae (in Madieae); Hulsea in Hulseinae (in Madieae); Syntrichopappus in Baeriinae (in Madieae); Venegasia in Venegasiinae (in Madieae); and Jamesianthus in Pectidinae (in Tageteae).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Pappi wholly or partially of bristles (pappi 0 and ray corollas whitish with red veins in Syntrichopappus lemmonii) | → 2 |
1. Pappi none or wholly of scales (all, some, or no scales aristate) | → 7 |
2. Leaves all or mostly opposite | → 3 |
2. Leaves mostly alternate (sometimes mostly basal) | → 4 |
3. Phyllaries 8–23 in (1–)2 series (subequal); pappi persistent, of 10–50 bristles | Arnica |
3. Phyllaries 14–18+ in ± 3 series (unequal); pappi fragile, of 6–8+ bristles | Jamesianthus |
4. Shrubs or treelets; leaf blades linear-filiform | Peucephyllum |
4. Annuals or perennials; leaf blades mostly deltate, elliptic, or rhombic | → 5 |
5. Cypselae obcompressed (each shed together with a subtending, linear, membranous scale, margins ciliate) | Bartlettia |
5. Cypselae clavate, fusiform, obconic, or obpyramidal (margins not ciliate) | → 6 |
6. Ray florets 5–8; pappi 0, or ± fragile (falling in whole of fragmented rings), of 25–40 basally connate or coherent bristles in 1–2 series | Syntrichopappus |
6. Ray florets 0; pappi persistent, of 70–90 distinct, unequal bristles in 2–3series | Psathyrotopsis |
7. Leaves all or mostly cauline, usually all or mostly opposite (distal sometimes, usually in Bahia, alternate) | → 8 |
7. Leaves all or mostly basal, or mostly cauline, mostly alternate (proximal sometimes opposite) | → 11 |
8. Leaves woolly; rays 5–12 (corollas persistent, marcescent); disc florets usually functionally staminate; cypselae obovoid or plumply fusiform, smooth or ca. 20-ribbed | Arnica |
8. Leaves usually ± hairy (not woolly, hairs white, straight, often bulbous, conic, or fusiform, 0.1–0.8 mm), sometimes glabrous, sometimes stipitate-glandular, usually gland-dotted; rays 0, or 1–15 (corollas withering, not marcescent); disc florets bisexual, fertile; cypselae obpyramidal, mostly 4-angled | → 9 |
9. Phyllaries 4–9(–12, margins often purplish or yellowish) | Schkuhria |
9. Phyllaries 6–18+ (margins rarely purplish, not yellowish) | → 10 |
10. Annuals, biennials, or perennials, 10–80+ cm; leaves all or mostly opposite (if perennials, blades lanceolate to oblong, 2–20+ mm wide), or all ormostly alternate | Bahia |
10. Perennials, 3–20+ cm; leaves all or mostly opposite (blades or lobes lanceolate to lance-linear, mostly 1–8 mm wide) | Picradeniopsis |
11. Phyllaries 20–40+ in 3–4+ series (unequal, outer spreading or reflexed at flowering, rotund to broadly ovate, foliaceous) | Venegasia |
11. Phyllaries mostly 4–21(–60+ in Hulsea; subequal to unequal, all ± erect at flowering, mostly lanceolate, linear, oblanceolate, obovate, or spatulate, not foliaceous) | → 12 |
12. Disc corolla lobes lance-linear, lance-oblong, or linear (lengths mostly 2+ times widths) | → 13 |
12. Disc corolla lobes mostly deltate, lance-deltate, lanceolate, or ovate (lengths mostly 1–2 times widths, sometimes longer in zygomorphic corollas of some Chaenactis spp.) | → 15 |
13. Pappus scales 12–18 | Hymenothrix |
13. Pappus scales 4–12 | → 14 |
14. Leaf blades broadly lanceolate to linear (not lobed); corollas usually pinkish or purplish, sometimes whitish; cypselae densely to sparsely hairy (hairs straight) | Palafoxia |
14. Leaf blades (at least mid-cauline) 3- or 5-lobed or -foliolate (blades or leaflets broadly to narrowly oblong to ovate); corollas whitish; cypselae sparsely hairy (hairs curled) | Florestina |
15. Leaves sparsely to densely hirtellous, scabrellous, or strigose (hairs white, straight, often conic or fusiform, 0.1–0.8 mm), sometimes glabrescent, sometimes stipitate-glandular, usually gland-dotted; cypselae obpyramidal, 4-angled | → 16 |
15. Leaves mostly sparsely lanate, tomentose, or woolly (hairs crisped, tangled or matted, mostly 0.8+ mm), sometimes glabrescent, or finely granular-pubescent (hairs bulbous, less than 0.2 mm), or glabrous, sometimes stipitate-glandular or gland-dotted; cypselae clavate, ± cylindric, or obconic, often compressed and ± linear, obscurely, if at all, 4-angled (sometimes obscurely 8–20-angled) | → 18 |
16. Leaves mostly cauline, blades deltate, oblong, or ovate overall, usually 1–2-ternately lobed | Amauriopsis |
16. Leaves mostly basal or basal and cauline, blades cordate, elliptic, lanceolate, ovate or rounded | → 17 |
17. Plants mostly 10–50+ cm; leaf blades mostly lanceolate, sometimes ± ovate; heads borne singly or in corymbiform to paniculiformarrays; rays 6–12 | Platyschkuhria |
17. Plants 2–7(–9) cm (10–20+ cm across); leaf blades cordate, elliptic,ovate, or rounded; heads borne singly; rays 0 | Chamaechaenactis |
18. Ray florets 9–60+ | Hulsea |
18. Ray florets 0 (corollas of peripheral florets sometimes zygomorphic and larger than inner, heads radiant) | → 19 |
19. Heads borne singly or in ± cymiform arrays; disc florets 8–70+ | Chaenactis |
19. Heads borne singly or (2–5) in clusters (at stem tips); disc florets 4–9 | Orochaenactis |
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