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Cooper's goldenbush

cliff goldenbush, cliff goldenbush cliff heathgoldenrod, rock goldenbush, wedgeleaf goldenbush

Habit Plants 10–100 cm.
Stems

spreading to ascending or erect, green when young, highly branched, glabrous, gland-dotted (sometimes in pits), resinous.

Leaves

ascending-spreading;

blades cuneate to spatulate, 2–25 × 2–16 mm, midnerves evident or faint, (margins usually flat) apices rounded, obtuse, or retuse, sometimes mucronate, faces glabrous, gland-dotted (in pits), thickly resinous;

axillary leaf fascicles rarely present.

Peduncles

2–10 mm (bracts 0–10+, scalelike).

Involucres

turbinate to narrowly campanulate, 6–12.5 × 4–14 mm.

Ray florets

0(–7);

laminae 3–4.3 × 1–1.5 mm.

Disc florets

7–70;

corollas ca. 5.5 mm.

Phyllaries

20–60 in 3–7 series, tan, ovate to lanceolate, 2–6 × 0.5–2.5 mm, unequal, mostly chartaceous, sometimes each with herbaceous subapical patch, midnerves evident on proximal 1/2 or throughout, subapical resin ducts 0 or slightly darker, thickened and expanded, (margins membranous, weakly lacerate) apices acute to acuminate or obtuse, abaxial faces glabrous.

Heads

usually borne singly, sometimes in rounded, cymiform arrays (to 5 × 8 cm).

Cypselae

tan to brown, turbinate, 2.5–3 mm, sericeous to villous;

pappi off-white to brown, 6.5–8 mm.

2n

= 18.

Ericameria cooperi

Ericameria cuneata

Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; NV; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (1 in the flora).

Ericameria cooperi var. bajacalifornica (Urbatsch & Wussow) Urbatsch is known only from Mexico (Baja California).

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Variety spathulata extends into Mexico. It is reported to hybridize with Ericameria nauseosa.

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

Key
1. Disc florets 36–70 (San Diego County, California)
var. macrocephala
1. Disc florets 7–33
→ 2
2. Leaves sessile, blades cuneate, largest 3–14(–18) × 2–9(–12)
var. cuneata
2. Leaves petiolate, blades spatulate, largest (9–)12–25 × 4–16
var. spathulata
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 56. FNA vol. 20, p. 57.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Ericameria Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Ericameria
Sibling taxa
E. albida, E. arborescens, E. arizonica, E. bloomeri, E. brachylepis, E. cervina, E. compacta, E. crispa, E. cuneata, E. discoidea, E. ericoides, E. fasciculata, E. gilmanii, E. greenei, E. laricifolia, E. lignumviridis, E. linearifolia, E. linearis, E. nana, E. nauseosa, E. obovata, E. ophitidis, E. palmeri, E. paniculata, E. parishii, E. parryi, E. pinifolia, E. resinosa, E. suffruticosa, E. teretifolia, E. watsonii, E. winwardii, E. zionis
E. albida, E. arborescens, E. arizonica, E. bloomeri, E. brachylepis, E. cervina, E. compacta, E. cooperi, E. crispa, E. discoidea, E. ericoides, E. fasciculata, E. gilmanii, E. greenei, E. laricifolia, E. lignumviridis, E. linearifolia, E. linearis, E. nana, E. nauseosa, E. obovata, E. ophitidis, E. palmeri, E. paniculata, E. parishii, E. parryi, E. pinifolia, E. resinosa, E. suffruticosa, E. teretifolia, E. watsonii, E. winwardii, E. zionis
Subordinate taxa
E. cooperi var. cooperi
E. cuneata var. cuneata, E. cuneata var. macrocephala, E. cuneata var. spathulata
Synonyms Bigelowia cooperi, Haplopappus cooperi Haplopappus cuneatus
Name authority (A. Gray) H. M. Hall: Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 3: 56. (1907) (A. Gray) McClatchie: Erythea 2: 124. (1894)
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