The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

desert stinkweed, Hillman's cleomella, Hillman's stinkweed

Chiricahua Mountain stinkweed

Habit Plants 10–55(–85) cm. Plants (rarely perennial) 30–80 cm.
Stems

sparsely branched proximally (central stem dominant); glabrous.

sparsely branched (central stem dominant); glabrous.

Leaves

stipules 3–5-fid, 0.5–1 mm (scarious);

petiole 2–6(–8) cm;

leaflet blade elliptic, ovate, or ovate-oblong, 0.8–2.4 × 0.4–1.4 cm, thin, margins entire, apex obtuse to retuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous.

stipules linear, 0.5–1 mm (scarious);

petiole 0.8–2 cm;

leaflet blade oblanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–3 × 0.4–1 cm, thin, margins entire, apex acute to rounded or slightly emarginate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

racemes, terminating stems, 3–10 cm (2–20 cm in fruit);

bracts unifoliate, 5–9 mm.

racemes, terminating stems and branches, 2–12 cm (10–50 cm in fruit);

bracts unifoliate, 5–12 mm (distalmost flowers often absent).

Pedicels

divergent in fruit, 5–12 mm (4.5–17 mm in fruit).

ascending in fruit, 4–6 mm (5–8 mm in fruit).

Flowers

sepals green, ovate-lanceolate, 1–2 × 0.5–0.7 mm, glabrous;

petals yellow, oblong, (3.5–)4–8 × 1.8–2.2 mm, glabrous;

stamens (well-exserted), yellow, 8–12 mm;

anthers 2.5–3 mm;

gynophore ascending, 3.5–15 mm in fruit;

ovary ovoid, 1–1.3 mm;

style (0.7–)1–2 mm.

sepals green, lanceolate, 0.9–2.2 × 0.5–0.7 mm, glabrous;

petals yellow, oblong, 6–9 × 2–4 mm, glabrous;

stamens yellow, 8–12 mm;

anthers 1.5–1.9 mm;

gynophore ascending, 6–17 mm in fruit;

ovary rhomboidal, 1–1.5 mm;

style 1–2 mm.

Capsules

rhomboidal, 3.5–6 × 4–10.5 mm, glabrous.

rhomboidal, 4–8 × 6–10 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

(1 or) 2–6, stramineous, globose, 2–2.7 mm, smooth.

6–16, dark brown, globose, 2–2.2 mm, smooth.

2n

= 34.

Cleomella hillmanii

Cleomella longipes

Phenology Flowering late spring–late summer.
Habitat Saline or alkaline flats
Elevation 500-1000 m (1600-3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Pedicels (6.5-)9-17 mm in fruit; gynophore (6-) 7-15 mm in fruit; capsules 4-7(-8) mm diam.
var. hillmanii
1. Pedicels 4.5-8.5(-10) mm in fruit; gynophore 3.5-6.5 mm in fruit; capsules (5-)6.5-10.5 mm diam.
var. goodrichii
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 210. FNA vol. 7, p. 211.
Parent taxa Cleomaceae > Cleomella Cleomaceae > Cleomella
Sibling taxa
C. angustifolia, C. brevipes, C. longipes, C. obtusifolia, C. palmeriana, C. parviflora, C. plocasperma
C. angustifolia, C. brevipes, C. hillmanii, C. obtusifolia, C. palmeriana, C. parviflora, C. plocasperma
Subordinate taxa
C. hillmanii var. goodrichii, C. hillmanii var. hillmanii
Name authority A. Nelson: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 18: 171. (1905) Torrey: Hooker’s J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 2: 255. (1850)
Web links