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

club-moss ivesia, clubmoss mousetail

Coconino ivesia, manyleaf mousetail, red comarella

Habit Plants green, usually rosetted, sometimes ± tufted; taproot fusiform, fleshy. Plants green.
Stems

decumbent to erect, 0.3–3 dm.

ascending to erect, 2–6 dm.

Basal leaves

tightly to loosely cylindric, 1–15 cm; sheathing base glabrous abaxially;

petiole 0.5–4 cm, hairs 0.2–1 mm;

leaflets 10–35 per side, 1–8 mm, glabrous or short-hirsute, minutely glandular, lobes (2–)4–8(–10), linear to obovate or ± orbiculate, apex sometimes setose.

6–25(–30) cm; sheathing base minutely glandular abaxially;

petiole 0.5–8(–10) cm;

leaflets 12–30 per side, obovate to broadly cuneate, 5–12(–15) mm, incised 1/3–1/2 to base into 3–5 oblong to ovate teeth, sometimes entire, sparsely short-strigose to -villous, sometimes glabrate.

Cauline leaves

0–2(–3), not paired.

Inflorescences

3–20(–25)-flowered, (0.5–)1–2.5(–3.5) cm diam.;

glomerules usually 1.

(5–)8–60-flowered, 2–12 cm diam.

Pedicels

(0.5–)1–7(–11) mm.

5–30(–35) mm.

Flowers

6–12 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets oblong to oval, 0.8–2.5(–3) mm;

hypanthium shallowly cupulate, 1–2 × 2.5–5 mm;

sepals (1.8–)2–4(–4.5) mm, obtuse to acute;

petals golden yellow, obovate, 2–5 mm;

stamens 5, filaments 0.8–2 mm, anthers yellow, 0.6–0.8 mm;

carpels (5–)8–15(–18), styles 1–3 mm.

9–12 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 1–2 mm;

hypanthium interior brick- to blood-red or golden, 0.5–1.5 × 3–5 mm;

sepals 3–4.5 mm, base brick- to blood-red adaxially, apex acute to acuminate;

petals brick- to blood-red, linear to oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 2–3.5 mm;

stamens 5, filaments 1.3–2 mm, anthers maroon, oblong, 0.6–0.9 mm;

carpels 1–5, styles 2–3 mm.

Achenes

greenish tan to light brown, 1.2–1.5 mm.

brown, 2–2.5 mm.

2n

= 28.

Ivesia lycopodioides

Ivesia multifoliolata

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry flats and slopes, on gravelly volcanic or sandstone soil, often along seasonal stream courses, in oak and conifer woodlands
Elevation 1800–2400 m (5900–7900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

The three varieties of Ivesia lycopodioides are for the most part readily distinguished, though intergradation is known. The high-elevation var. lycopodioides extends farthest north; var. scandularis is the only variety in the White Mountains. Variety megalopetala is found mostly at somewhat lower (subalpine) elevations and generally has a more southern range.

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

Of conservation concern.

Ivesia multifoliolata is found between the Grand Canyon and Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona. It is both the only species of the genus with red petals and the only one that overlaps the range of the red-petaled Potentilla sect. Rubrae.

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

Key
1. Leaflets short-hirsute, apical setae (0–)0.5–1(–2) mm; White Mountains and c Sierra Nevada.
var. scandularis
1. Leaflets glabrous or sparsely short-hirsute, apical setae 0–0.5 mm; Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater Mountains
→ 2
2. Leaflet lobes ± orbiculate, ± 1 mm; petals 2–3 × 1 mm.
var. lycopodioides
2. Leaflet lobes linear to oblanceolate, 2–8 mm; petals 3–5 × 2–4 mm.
var. megalopetala
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 232. FNA vol. 9, p. 244.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Ivesia Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Comarella
Sibling taxa
I. aperta, I. argyrocoma, I. arizonica, I. baileyi, I. callida, I. campestris, I. cryptocaulis, I. gordonii, I. jaegeri, I. kingii, I. longibracteata, I. muirii, I. multifoliolata, I. paniculata, I. patellifera, I. pickeringii, I. pityocharis, I. pygmaea, I. rhypara, I. sabulosa, I. santolinoides, I. saxosa, I. sericoleuca, I. setosa, I. shockleyi, I. tweedyi, I. unguiculata, I. utahensis, I. webberi
I. aperta, I. argyrocoma, I. arizonica, I. baileyi, I. callida, I. campestris, I. cryptocaulis, I. gordonii, I. jaegeri, I. kingii, I. longibracteata, I. lycopodioides, I. muirii, I. paniculata, I. patellifera, I. pickeringii, I. pityocharis, I. pygmaea, I. rhypara, I. sabulosa, I. santolinoides, I. saxosa, I. sericoleuca, I. setosa, I. shockleyi, I. tweedyi, I. unguiculata, I. utahensis, I. webberi
Subordinate taxa
I. lycopodioides var. lycopodioides, I. lycopodioides var. megalopetala, I. lycopodioides var. scandularis
Synonyms Potentilla lycopodioides Horkelia multifoliolata, Comarella multifoliolata, Potentilla multifoliolata
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 530. (1865) (Torrey) D. D. Keck: Lloydia 1: 125. (1939)
Web links