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

intermountain ivesia, intermountain mousetail, Sevier ivesia, yellow comarella

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

decumbent to erect, 0.3–3 dm.

ascending to erect, (1.8–)2–6(–6.5) 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.

7–25(–30) cm; sheathing base usually sparsely strigose abaxially;

petiole 1–4(–5) cm;

leaflets 15–40 per side, ± flabellate, 3–14 mm, usually incised to base into 2–3 oblanceolate lobes, ± densely short-hirsute to -villous.

Cauline leaves

0–2(–3), not paired.

Inflorescences

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

glomerules usually 1.

10–60-flowered, 4–15 cm diam.

Pedicels

(0.5–)1–7(–11) mm.

(1–)5–20 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.

9–14 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets lanceolate, 1–3(–3.3) mm;

hypanthium interior golden, 1–2 × 3–5 mm;

sepals (2.5–)3.5–6 mm, base golden adaxially, apex acute to acuminate;

petals yellow, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 2–4 mm;

stamens 5, filaments 2–4 mm, anthers yellow, sometimes red-rimmed, oblong, 0.6–1.2 mm;

carpels 1–5, styles 2–3 mm.

Achenes

greenish tan to light brown, 1.2–1.5 mm.

brown, 1.7–2.2 mm.

Ivesia lycopodioides

Ivesia sabulosa

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry flats and slopes, on gravelly volcanic or limestone soil, in sagebrush and other desert shrub communities, montane conifer woodlands
Elevation 1500–2700 m (4900–8900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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 sabulosa occurs from central Nevada and southwestern Utah south to Arizona north of the Grand Canyon.

(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. multifoliolata, I. paniculata, I. patellifera, I. pickeringii, I. pityocharis, I. pygmaea, I. rhypara, 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 Potentilla sabulosa, Comarella sabulosa
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 530. (1865) (M. E. Jones) D. D. Keck: Lloydia 1: 124. (1939)
Web links