Flora of North America species comparison

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Eupatorium linearifolium

Eupatorium leptophyllum

waxy thoroughwort

false fennel
Habit Perennials, 30–100+ cm. Perennials, 50–200 cm.
Stems

(from short caudices) single or multiple, branched at or near bases, pubescent throughout.

(from short caudices) single, branched distally, glabrous throughout, gland-dotted.
Leaves

usually opposite (distal sometimes alternate);

sessile or subsessile;

blades 3-nerved distal to bases, oblong to lance-oblong, 20–45 × 5–10 mm, bases cuneate, margins entire or serrate (teeth mostly proximal), apices acute, faces finely puberulent, gland-dotted.

opposite (proximal) or alternate (nodes often appearing leafy by development of leaves on lateral buds without axis elongation); petiolate or sessile;

blades (usually pinnately or ternately lobed) or lobes 1-nerved or pinnately nerved, linear, 20–100 × 0.2–0.5(–1) mm, bases slightly expanded, margins entire, apices rounded to acute, faces sparsely puberulent to glabrate, gland-dotted.
Florets

5;

corollas 3–3.5 mm.

5;

corollas 2–2.5 mm.
Phyllaries

8–10 in 1–2 series, lanceolate (tapering toward apices), 2–5 × 0.5–1 mm, apices rounded to acute, abaxial faces puberulent, gland-dotted.

6–10 in 1–2 series, lanceolate, 1.5–3 × 0.5–0.7 mm, apices acuminate, mucronate, abaxial faces glabrous or glabrate (not gland-dotted).
Heads

in corymbiform arrays.

in paniculiform arrays (branches supporting heads recurved, secund).
Cypselae

2.5–3 mm;

pappi of 30–40 bristles 3–5 mm.

1–1.5 mm;

pappi of 15–30 bristles 2–2.5 mm.
2n

= 20, 30, 40.

= 20.

Eupatorium linearifolium

Eupatorium leptophyllum
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Dry, sandy soils, pine and oak woods, old fields Pond margins, wet, low places, shallow water
Elevation 20–100+ m (100–300+ ft) 10–50+ m (0–200+ ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; DE; FL; GA; MS; NC; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants treated here as Eupatorium linearifolium were long treated under the name E. cuneifolium; the latter name was superfluous when published (K. N. Gandhi and R. D. Thomas 1991). Because there appears to be a continuous range of variation between diploids that were referred to by V. I. Sullivan (1972) as E. cuneifolium and the series of putative hybrids (with E. hyssopifolium suggested as the other parent) that she called E. linearifolium, these are combined here. The tendency for the plants to branch at or near the bases is distinctive within Eupatorium.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 470. FNA vol. 21, p. 469.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Eupatorium Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Eupatorium
Sibling taxa
E. album, E. altissimum, E. anomalum, E. cannabinum, E. capillifolium, E. compositifolium, E. godfreyanum, E. hyssopifolium, E. lancifolium, E. leptophyllum, E. leucolepis, E. mikanioides, E. mohrii, E. perfoliatum, E. petaloideum, E. pilosum, E. resinosum, E. rotundifolium, E. semiserratum, E. serotinum, E. sessilifolium, E. ×cordigerum, E. ×pinnatifidum
E. album, E. altissimum, E. anomalum, E. cannabinum, E. capillifolium, E. compositifolium, E. godfreyanum, E. hyssopifolium, E. lancifolium, E. leucolepis, E. linearifolium, E. mikanioides, E. mohrii, E. perfoliatum, E. petaloideum, E. pilosum, E. resinosum, E. rotundifolium, E. semiserratum, E. serotinum, E. sessilifolium, E. ×cordigerum, E. ×pinnatifidum
Synonyms E. cuneifolium, E. glaucescens, E. tortifolium E. capillifolium var. leptophyllum
Name authority Walter: Fl. Carol., 199. (1788) de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 5: 176. (1836)
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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