Flora of North America species comparison

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Chaenactis thompsonii

Chaenactis carphoclinia
Chaenactis thompsonii

Thompson's pincushion

pebble pincushion, straw-bed pincushion
Habit Perennials, 10–30 cm (not or scarcely cespitose, not matted); proximal indument thinning with age, grayish, arachnoid-sericeous to thinly lanuginose. Plants (5–)10–30(–60) cm.
Stems

mostly 5–15+, ascending to erect.

Leaves

mostly cauline, 2–5 cm;

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

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

basal (often withering) and, usually, cauline, 1–6(–10) cm;

largest blades ± 3-dimensional, not to somewhat succulent;

primary lobes mostly 2–7(–10) pairs, ultimate lobes ± crowded to remote, antrorse, linear, terete.
Peduncles

ascending to erect, 2–5 cm.

2–6 cm.
Involucres

± obconic.

obconic to ± cylindric or hemispheric, mostly 5–10 mm diam.
Receptacles

paleae (0–)3–10+ (persistent, ± phyllary-like, apices visible among mature floret buds).
Corollas

7–9 mm.

4–6 mm.
Phyllaries

longest (10–)12–15 mm;

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

longest 7–10 mm, ± granular-glandular and villous;

apices (all or inner) erect to incurved, usually reddish, acuminate, aristate, terete.
Heads

mostly 1–3 per stem.

Cypselae

7–9 mm (eglandular);

pappi: longest scales 3.5–5 mm.

± terete, 3–4.5 mm;

pappi usually of 4(–5) scales, longest 3–5 mm.

Chaenactis thompsonii

Chaenactis carphoclinia
Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Rocky or gravelly serpentine slopes, scree, talus, openings in or above conifer forests
Elevation (900–)1200–2200 m ((3000–)3900–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; NV; UT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Though occasionally suspected (P. Stockwell 1940), there are no confirmed natural or artificial hybrids between Chaenactis carphoclinia and any other member of the genus. The presence of paleae on the receptacle of C. carphoclinia is unique in Chaenactis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Leaves basal and cauline, longest 1–6(–7) cm; petioles scarcely dilated proximally, ± herbaceous
var. carphoclinia
1. Leaves ± basal, longest 7–10 cm; petioles dilated proximally, ± indurate
var. peirsonii
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 407. FNA vol. 21, p. 402.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Macrocarphus Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Acarphaea
Sibling taxa
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
C. alpigena, C. artemisiifolia, 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
Subordinate taxa
C. carphoclinia var. carphoclinia, C. carphoclinia var. peirsonii
Name authority Cronquist: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacif. N.W. 5: 123, fig. [p. 125]. (1955) A. Gray: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 94. (1859)
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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