Flora of North America species comparison

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Helianthus laciniatus

alkali sunflower
Habit Perennials, 50–120(–200) cm.
Stems

erect, usually strigose or hispid to glabrate.
Leaves

cauline; opposite or alternate;

sessile;

blades (green or grayish, 1- or 3-nerved) lanceolate, 5–9 × 0.5–3.5 cm, bases ± cuneate, margins entire or irregularly toothed to lobed, faces strigose to strumose, gland-dotted (adaxial sometimes glaucous).
Peduncles

4–13 cm.
Involucres

hemispheric, 10–24 mm diam.
Ray florets

14–20;

laminae ca. 8–11 mm.
Disc florets

40+;

corollas 4.8–5.8 mm, lobes reddish;

anthers purplish, appendages reddish (style branches yellow).
Phyllaries

16–21, lanceolate, 6–7.5 × 1.8–2.5 mm (often subequal), (margins ciliate) apices acute, abaxial faces hispidulous or strigose to glabrate, gland-dotted.
Heads

1–9.
Cypselae

2.7–3.5 mm, glabrate;

pappi of 2(–3) aristate scales 1.4–2.5 mm.
Paleae

7–7.8 mm, entire or 3-toothed (apices obtuse to acute, hispid-ciliate to glabrate).
2n

= 34.

Helianthus laciniatus
Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Open, dry, alkaline soils
Elevation 1000–1200 m (3300–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
NM; TX; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Helianthus laciniatus reaches the northern extent of its range in New Mexico and Texas; it is relatively common in the Chihuahuan Desert areas of Mexico. It is similar to H. ciliaris; it usually has hairy stems as well as denser leaf indument that includes a greater number of subsessile, glandular hairs.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 169.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Helianthinae > Helianthus
Sibling taxa
H. agrestis, H. angustifolius, H. annuus, H. anomalus, H. argophyllus, H. arizonensis, H. atrorubens, H. bolanderi, H. californicus, H. carnosus, H. ciliaris, H. cusickii, H. debilis, H. decapetalus, H. deserticola, H. divaricatus, H. eggertii, H. exilis, H. floridanus, H. giganteus, H. glaucophyllus, H. gracilentus, H. grosseserratus, H. heterophyllus, H. hirsutus, H. laevigatus, H. longifolius, H. maximiliani, H. microcephalus, H. mollis, H. neglectus, H. niveus, H. nuttallii, H. occidentalis, H. paradoxus, H. pauciflorus, H. petiolaris, H. porteri, H. praecox, H. pumilus, H. radula, H. resinosus, H. salicifolius, H. schweinitzii, H. silphioides, H. simulans, H. smithii, H. strumosus, H. tuberosus, H. verticillatus, H. ×laetiflorus
Synonyms H. crenatus, H. heiseri
Name authority A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 84. (1849)
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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