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Photo is of parent taxon

intermountain horkelia, tawny horkelia

Photo is of parent taxon

Shasta horkelia, tawny horkelia

Stems

3–6 dm.

1–4.5 dm.

Basal leaves

green, 10–35(–40) cm;

leaflets 4–6(or 7) per side, narrowly to broadly obovate, 10–30(–35) × (5–)10–20(–25) mm, 1/2 to nearly as wide as long, divided 1/5–1/4 to midrib into 8–14 teeth, surfaces not obscured, ± sparsely hirsute to glabrate.

grayish, 4–12(–18) cm;

leaflets 3–7 per side, narrowly to broadly cuneate, 5–15(–17) × 2–8(–12) mm, usually 1/3–1/2 as wide as long, divided 1/4–1/2 to midrib into 4–6 teeth, surfaces often obscured, ± densely short-villous.

Cauline leaves

1–4(or 5);

leaflets of proximalmost 2 or 3(–5) per side.

2–4;

leaflets of proximalmost 2–4 per side.

Inflorescences

green to reddish purple, congested to open, comprising 1/6–1/3 of stem, composed of 10–30-flowered glomerules, glandular hairs not or obscurely red-septate;

bracts acute-lobed, not obscuring pedicels and flowers at maturity.

grayish or purplish, usually ± congested, sometimes more open, usually comprising less than 1/6 of stem, composed of 5–20(–40)-flowered glomerules, glandular hairs usually not red-septate;

bracts acuminate-lobed, often ± obscuring pedicels and flowers even at maturity.

Flowers

epicalyx bractlets 2–3.5(–4) mm;

hypanthium 2 × 2.5–4 mm;

petals (3–)4–6 mm;

filaments 0.5–1.5 mm, usually longer than wide, anthers 0.5–0.6 mm;

styles 1–1.5 mm.

epicalyx bractlets 1.5–2.5 mm;

hypanthium 1.5–2.5 × 2.5–4 mm;

petals 2–3(–4.5) mm;

filaments (0.2–)0.6–1 mm, usually longer than wide, anthers 0.3–0.5 mm;

styles 1 mm.

Achenes

1.6–1.8 mm.

1–1.2 mm.

2n

= 28.

= 28.

Horkelia fusca var. pseudocapitata

Horkelia fusca var. brownii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry meadow edges, often with sagebrush, aspen, and/or willows, open conifer woodlands, mainly on volcanic or granitic soil Dry meadow edges in conifer woodlands, on pumice or sandy or clay soil
Elevation 900–2300 m (3000–7500 ft) 900–2000 m (3000–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR
from FNA
CA; NV; OR
Discussion

The application of the epithet pseudocapitata here differs significantly from that of P. A. Rydberg (1908c), D. D. Keck (1938), and most floras, who used it for the taxon that is here called var. brownii. Instead, var. pseudocapitata encompasses the bulk of what had been called var. (or subsp.) capitata, except in mountains bordering the Palouse Prairie in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. For nomenclatural details, see B. Ertter and J. L Reveal (2007).

As here circumscribed, var. pseudocapitata is a relatively large, big-petaled variety that grows in the mountains in and bordering the northern Intermountain Region in northeastern California (primarily the Warner Mountains), northern Nevada, southeastern Oregon, and southern Idaho, extending northward along valleys from Camas to Blaine counties. Intermediate plants are common where the range intersects those of var. brownii, var. capitata, and var. parviflora, though in the core of its range var. pseudocapitata is reasonably distinctive and uniform.

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

Variety brownii here takes the place of var./subsp. pseudocapitata as used in D. D. Keck (1938) and most floras; this variant was included within var. parviflora by B. Ertter (1993d). The diagnostic feature is the ash gray leaflets, which also tend to be more narrowly cuneate than in other varieties. The variety occurs from Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County east to southwestern Modoc County and southeast to Sierra Valley in Plumas and Sierra counties, California, skirting the range of var. tenella. Morphologically comparable plants occur as far south as the California-Nevada border on the south side of Lake Tahoe, and at least one collection from Nevada (Reno, Hillman s.n., POM) is closest to this variety. Populations from the southeastern end of the range tend to be larger and less ash gray than those in the vicinity of Mount Shasta. Most references to var. brownii (as var./subsp. pseudocapitata misapplied) from Oregon are probably best attributed to the polymorphic var. parviflora, but at least one collection from Klamath Lake (Newberry s.n., GH) fits well in var. brownii.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 262. FNA vol. 9, p. 263.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Horkelia > sect. Capitatae > Horkelia fusca Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Horkelia > sect. Capitatae > Horkelia fusca
Sibling taxa
H. fusca var. brownii, H. fusca var. capitata, H. fusca var. filicoides, H. fusca var. fusca, H. fusca var. parviflora, H. fusca var. tenella
H. fusca var. capitata, H. fusca var. filicoides, H. fusca var. fusca, H. fusca var. parviflora, H. fusca var. pseudocapitata, H. fusca var. tenella
Synonyms H. pseudocapitata, H. fusca subsp. pseudocapitata, Potentilla douglasii var. pseudocapitata H. brownii
Name authority (Rydberg ex Howell) M. Peck: Man. Pl. Oregon, 398. (1941) (Rydberg) Ertter & Reveal: Novon 17: 319. (2007)
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