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club-moss ivesia, clubmoss mousetail

Utah ivesia, Utah mousetail

Habit Plants green, usually rosetted, sometimes ± tufted; taproot fusiform, fleshy. Plants green, rosetted to tufted; taproot proximally enlarged, not fleshy.
Stems

decumbent to erect, 0.3–3 dm.

prostrate to ascending, 0.5–1.5(–2) 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.

± tightly cylindric, 2–7(–9) cm; sheathing base glabrous abaxially;

petiole 0.5–2 cm, hairs 0.5–1 mm;

leaflets 15–20 per side, 2–4 mm, glabrate or sparsely short-hirsute, sparsely to densely glandular, lobes (2–)3–8, narrowly oblanceolate to obovate, apex not setose.

Cauline leaves

0–2(–3), not paired.

(0–)1, not paired.

Inflorescences

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

glomerules usually 1.

(5–)10–30-flowered, 1–2.5(–5) cm diam.;

glomerules 1–few.

Pedicels

(0.5–)1–7(–11) mm.

1–7 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.

7–9 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets narrowly oblong to oval, 0.8–2 mm;

hypanthium shallowly cupulate, (1–)1.5–2 × 2.5–3.5 mm;

sepals (1.8–)2–3 mm, acute;

petals white, sometimes pink-tinged, oblanceolate to spatulate, 1.8–3 mm;

stamens 5, filaments 1.3–1.8 mm, anthers orangish to reddish brown, 0.4–0.6 mm;

carpels (1–)2–4, styles 1.5–2 mm.

Achenes

greenish tan to light brown, 1.2–1.5 mm.

yellowish green to light tan or gray-brown, 1.7–1.9 mm.

Ivesia lycopodioides

Ivesia utahensis

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Talus slopes, bare ridges, in high-elevation sagebrush communities, subalpine to alpine conifer woodlands
Elevation 3200–3700 m (10500–12100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[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 utahensis is known from the Wasatch and adjacent Uinta Mountains in northern Utah. The species stands as the white-petaled counterpart to the yellow-petaled Sierran I. lycopodioides, possibly indicating a common ancestral stock that was once more continuous across the Great Basin.

(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. 233.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Ivesia Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Ivesia
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. sabulosa, I. santolinoides, I. saxosa, I. sericoleuca, I. setosa, I. shockleyi, I. tweedyi, I. unguiculata, I. webberi
Subordinate taxa
I. lycopodioides var. lycopodioides, I. lycopodioides var. megalopetala, I. lycopodioides var. scandularis
Synonyms Potentilla lycopodioides Potentilla utahensis
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 530. (1865) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 17: 371. (1882)
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