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

Palmer goldenweed, Palmer's goldenbush

California goldenbush, California heathgoldenrod, heather goldenweed, mock heather

Habit Plants 50–400 cm. Plants 30–150 cm.
Stems

erect, much branched, twigs crowded, green when young, becoming reddish brown to gray, glabrous or sparsely hairy, usually covered with resin-filled pits.

ascending to erect, green when young, fastigiately branched, glabrous or sparsely hairy, resinous.

Leaves

(moderately crowded) ascending to spreading;

blades linear to narrowly oblanceolate (terete, sulcate, or flattened), 5–50 × 0.5–2 mm, midnerves obscure or evident abaxially, apices acute, faces glabrous or moderately hairy, gland-dotted (in circular, deep pits), resinous;

axillary fascicles with 1–10 leaves, shorter than subtending leaves.

ascending to spreading;

blades filiform (terete or adaxially sulcate), 3–18(–23) × 0.3–1 mm, midnerves obscure, apices acute, often mucronate, faces glabrous or hairy, gland-dotted (in circular, deep pits), resinous;

axillary fascicles of 2–12 leaves, shorter than subtending leaves.

Peduncles

2–15 mm (bracts 5–10+, leaflike).

1–30 mm (bracts 4+, leaflike).

Involucres

turbinate to subcampanulate, 4–7 × 2.5–4 mm.

subcampanulate, 5–8 × 2.5–4.5 mm.

Ray florets

2–8;

laminae 4–5 × 1–1.8 mm.

2–6;

laminae 4–6 × 1–2 mm.

Disc florets

6–20;

corollas 5–7 mm.

5–14;

corollas 5.5–8 mm.

Phyllaries

16–24 in 3–5 series, mostly tan, narrowly oblong to elliptic, 1.5–6 × 0.4–0.8 mm, unequal, mostly chartaceous, midnerves evident on at least distal 1/2, slightly to strongly thickened, expanded distally, (margins narrowly membranous, sometimes ciliate distally) apices acute to rounded, abaxial faces glabrous, outer sometimes gland-dotted (sessile), frequently resinous.

16–24 in 3–5 series, mostly tan, ovate to elliptic, 2.5–7 × 0.6–1.5 mm, unequal, outer ± herbaceous or herbaceous-appendaged, mid and inner mostly chartaceous, midnerves raised, subapical resin ducts darker, ± thickened, expanded apically, (margins ciliate) apices erect, acute to acuminate or mucronate to cuspidate, abaxial faces glabrous or sparsely hairy.

Heads

in racemiform to thyrsiform arrays (to 50 × 2–15 cm).

in cymiform to paniculiform arrays (2–9 cm wide).

Cypselae

tan to brown, subcylindric, 3.5–4 mm, moderately to densely hairy;

pappi off-white to brown, 5–8 mm.

tan to brown, subcylindric, 2.5–4 mm (ribs 8–10), glabrous or hairy, more densely distally;

pappi off-white to brown, 5–7 mm.

2n

= 18.

= 18.

Ericameria palmeri

Ericameria ericoides

Phenology Flowering late summer–fall, occasionally in spring.
Habitat Sand dunes or sand hills along and near coast
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Ericameria ericoides ranges from Los Angeles to Sonoma counties.

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

Key
1. Leaves 8–20(–30) mm; axillary leaves 2–10 per fascicle; subapical resin ducts on at least outer and mid phyllaries strongly thickened; midnerves usually not evident on proximal 1/2 of each phyllary; florets 6–12(–14); Riverside to Ventura counties, California
var. pachylepis
1. Leaves 20–40 mm; axillary leaves 1–2 per fascicle; subapical resin ducts on phyllaries not strongly thickened; midnerves usually evident on proximal 1/2 of each phyllary; florets 12–30; San Diego County, California
var. palmeri
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 70. FNA vol. 20, p. 59.
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. cooperi, 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. 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. cuneata, E. discoidea, 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. palmeri var. pachylepis, E. palmeri var. palmeri
Synonyms Haplopappus palmeri Diplopappus ericoides, Haplopappus ericoides, Haplopappus ericoides subsp. blakei
Name authority (A. Gray) H. M. Hall: Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 3: 53. (1907) (Lessing) Jepson: Fl. W. Calif., 559. (1901)
Web links