Encelia virginensis
Encelia scaposa
Virgin River brittlebush, Virgin River encelia
onehead brittlebush
with slender branches from bases, hairy, developing fissured barks.
contracted, at soil surface or ± subterranean (except peduncles).
cauline;
petioles 2–7 mm;
blades gray-green, narrowly ovate to deltate, 12–25 mm, apices acute or obtuse, faces sparsely canescent and strigose.
mostly basal;
petioles ± wanting or merging with blades;
blades greenish to cinereous, (proximalmost scalelike) mostly narrowly oblanceolate to linear, 30–100 mm (including attenuate bases, mostly 1–8 mm wide), faces ± hirtellous to scabrellous.
canescent.
± scabrellous.
9–13 mm.
12–22 mm.
11–21;
corolla laminae 8–15 mm.
20–40.
yellow, 5–6 mm.
yellow, ca. 5 mm.
narrowly ovate.
linear.
borne singly.
borne singly.
5–8 mm;
pappi usually 0, rarely of 1–2 bristlelike awns.
(cuneate to obovate) ca. 5 mm (faces ± villous);
pappi (readily falling) of 2 (± villous) bristlelike awns.
= 36.
Encelia virginensis
Encelia scaposa
In the mountains of the eastern Mojave Desert in California, Encelia virginensis may intergrade with E. actoni at higher elevations, probably as a result of hybridization. Plants of E. virginensis in New Mexico may be adventive.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Although Encelia scaposa traditionally has been included within Encelia, it seems misplaced here. Its cypselae differ from those of other encelias in lacking a narrowed apical notch and in having more or less villous (rather than mostly glabrous) faces. Molecular evidence suggests that it may be closer to Flourensia than to members of the alliance comprising Encelia, Enceliopsis, and Geraea.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
