Flora of North America species comparison

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Chaenactis nevii

Chaenactis thompsonii
Chaenactis nevii

John Day pincushion, John Day's pincushion, Nevius' chaenactis
Chaenactis thompsonii

Thompson's pincushion
Habit Plants 10–30 cm; proximal indument greenish to grayish, stipitate-glandular and, sometimes, sparsely arachnoid or villous. Perennials, 10–30 cm (not or scarcely cespitose, not matted); proximal indument thinning with age, grayish, arachnoid-sericeous to thinly lanuginose.
Stems

mostly 1–3;

branches mainly distal.

mostly 5–15+, ascending to erect.
Leaves

basal (withering) and cauline, 2–5 cm;

largest blades ± elliptic, ± plane to 3-dimensional, not succulent, 1–2-pinnately lobed;

primary lobes mostly 3–8 pairs, ± remote, ultimate lobes ± plane to involute.

mostly cauline, 2–5 cm;

largest blades ± elliptic, ± plane, 1-pinnately lobed;

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

1–6 cm, distally stipitate-glandular and, sometimes, ± arachnoid to villous.

ascending to erect, 2–5 cm.
Involucres

± hemispheric to campanulate.

± obconic.
Florets

corollas bright yellow, 4–6.5 mm;

peripheral corollas ± erect, actinomorphic, scarcely enlarged.

Corollas

7–9 mm.
Phyllaries

longest 6–9 mm;

outer predominantly stipitate-glandular and, sometimes, ± arachnoid to villous in fruit, apices ± erect, acute, rigid.

longest (10–)12–15 mm;

outer closely lanuginose, not stipitate-glandular, apices erect, ± rigid.
Heads

mostly 3–9 per stem.

mostly 1–3 per stem.
Cypselae

3.5–6 mm (compressed);

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

7–9 mm (eglandular);

pappi: longest scales 3.5–5 mm.
2n

= 12.

Chaenactis nevii

Chaenactis thompsonii
Phenology Flowering late Apr–mid July. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Nearly barren, heavy clay soils from volcanic ash and tuff, sometimes disturbed or moist sites Rocky or gravelly serpentine slopes, scree, talus, openings in or above conifer forests
Elevation 400–1000 m (1300–3300 ft) (900–)1200–2200 m ((3000–)3900–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Chaenactis nevii is known from the John Day Basin area in Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Wasco, and Wheeler counties. This odd and isolated species combines traits of C. artemisiifolia (sect. Acarphaea) and C. glabriuscula, and might be descended from their common ancestor.

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

Of conservation concern.

Chaenactis thompsonii appears to be sister to C. evermannii; it is known from the mountains of central and northwestern Washington. The similar habits of C. thompsonii and C. ramosa (= C. douglasii var. douglasii) appear to result from convergent evolution in the distinctive habitat of their type localities (Wenatchee Mountains), not from a close genetic relationship as suggested by Cronquist.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 411. FNA vol. 21, p. 407.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Chaenactis Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Macrocarphus
Sibling taxa
C. alpigena, C. artemisiifolia, C. carphoclinia, C. cusickii, C. douglasii, C. evermannii, C. fremontii, C. glabriuscula, C. macrantha, C. nevadensis, 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. macrantha, C. nevadensis, C. nevii, C. parishii, C. santolinoides, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. xantiana
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer Acad. Arts 19: 30. (1883) Cronquist: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacif. N.W. 5: 123, fig. [p. 125]. (1955)
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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