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granite mousetail, Muir's ivesia

Webber's ivesia, wire ivesia, wire mousetail

Habit Plants silvery, usually ± rosetted; taproot stout, sometimes fleshy. Plants ± green, ± rosetted; taproot slender to ± stout, not fleshy.
Stems

usually ± erect, sometimes nearly prostrate, 0.5–1.5(–2) dm.

decumbent to ascending, 0.5–1.5(–1.8) dm.

Basal leaves

very tightly cylindric (mousetail-like, with individual leaflets scarcely distinguishable), 2–5(–10) cm; sheathing base densely strigose abaxially;

petiole 0.2–0.8(–1) cm, hairs 0.5–1.5 mm;

leaflets 25–40 per side, 0.4–1 mm, densely sericeous, glands obscured, lobes 2–5, obovate or oval to orbiculate, apex not setose.

loosely ± cylindric, 3–7(–10) cm; sheathing base ± strigose abaxially;

petiole 0.5–5(–6) cm, hairs 2–4 mm;

leaflets 4–8(–10) per side, (0.5–)3–8(–10) mm, loosely long-strigose or -villous and short-hirsute, ± glandular, lobes 2–5(–12), linear to lanceolate, apex not setose.

Cauline leaves

(0–)1–2, paired if 2.

2, paired.

Inflorescences

10–30-flowered, 1–2(–3.5) cm diam.;

glomerules usually 1.

5–15(–25)-flowered, 1.5–3(–6) cm diam.;

glomerules 1.

Pedicels

0.3–2(–3.5) mm.

(0.5–)1–8(–13) mm.

Flowers

5–6 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets oblong to obovate, 0.5–1 mm;

hypanthium shallowly cupulate, 0.5–1(–1.5) × 1.5–2.5 mm;

sepals (1–)1.5–2.5 mm, acute;

petals yellow, linear to oblanceolate or narrowly oblong, 1–2 mm;

stamens 5, filaments 0.3–0.6 mm, anthers yellow, 0.4–0.6 mm;

carpels 1–4, styles 0.7–1.2 mm.

9–12 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets linear, 1.2–3 mm;

hypanthium cupulate, 1–2(–2.5) × 2.5–5 mm;

sepals 2.5–4.5(–5.5) mm, acute;

petals yellow, narrowly oblanceolate, 2–3(–4) mm;

stamens 5, filaments 1.8–2.5(–3) mm, anthers yellow, (0.8–)1–1.6 mm;

carpels 3–8, styles 1.8–2.2 mm.

Achenes

grayish brown, mottled with red, 1.6–2 mm.

light brown, often mottled darker brown, 1.9–2.5 mm.

Ivesia muirii

Ivesia webberi

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late spring–early summer.
Habitat Dry rocky slopes, fellfields, mostly in alpine conifer woodlands and tundra Dry flats and slopes, in sagebrush communities, conifer woodlands
Elevation 2900–4000 m (9500–13100 ft) (1300–)1500–1900 m ((4300–)4900–6200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ivesia muirii is known from alpine areas in the Sierra Nevada. It is one of the more distinctive species of the genus, in its silvery mousetail-like leaves and usually tightly capitate inflorescences. Putative hybrids are known with I. lycopodioides (D. D. Keck 1938) and I. pygmaea (Center Basin area of Tulare County).

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

Of conservation concern.

Ivesia webberi is known only from the eastern foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada and scattered ranges to the east in California and adjacent Nevada. It is among the more distinctive species in the genus and is only tentatively placed in sect. Ivesia. The leaflets are loosely incised into slender, sparsely villous segments, and the two cauline leaves are paired with dissected stipules. Previous reports of the stems and inflorescence branches being glandular-puberulent are due to a misinterpretation of the minute pustulose bases associated with the villous indumentum as being enlarged glands.

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

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 236. FNA vol. 9, p. 236.
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. lycopodioides, 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. utahensis
Synonyms Potentilla muirii Potentilla webberi
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 627. (1873) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 71. (1874)
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