Flora of North America species comparison

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Chaenactis macrantha

big-head dusty maidens, bighead dustymaiden, large-flower chaenactis, Mohave pincushion, Mojave pincushion, showy dustymaidens
Habit 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, 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

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

± obconic to broadly cylindric.
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.
Phyllaries

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

5–6(–7) mm;

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

= 12.

Chaenactis macrantha
Phenology Flowering Mar–early Jul.
Habitat Open, loose, light-colored, silty, usually calcareous or alkaline, desert soils, often covered by or mixed with gravel
Elevation 600–2200 m (2000–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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. 410.
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. fremontii, C. glabriuscula, C. nevadensis, C. nevii, C. parishii, C. santolinoides, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. thompsonii, C. xantiana
Name authority 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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