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mouse tail ivesia, Sierra mousetail, silver mousetail, stellariopsis

Bailey's ivesia, Owyhee ivesia

Habit Plants ± grayish to silvery. Plants green, ± tufted, often forming hanging clumps, sometimes rosetted.
Stems

ascending to erect, (1–)1.5–4 dm.

pendent or prostrate to ascending, 0.5–2(–2.5) dm.

Basal leaves

mousetail-like (individual leaflets scarcely distinguishable), 3–10 cm; sheathing base densely strigose abaxially;

petiole 0.5–1.5 cm;

leaflets 60–80 per side, 0.6–1.5 mm, lobes (0–)3–5, obovate to oval, densely villous.

planar, 3–12(–18) cm; sheathing base not or sparsely strigose abaxially;

petiole 1–8 cm;

lateral leaflets 2–6(–10) per side, separate to slightly overlapping distally, ovate or obovate to flabellate, 4–15(–25) mm, incised 1/4–3/4 to base into 3–11(–15) ovate to oblanceolate teeth or lobes, apex not setose, surfaces ± sparsely short-pilose or hirsute, ± glandular;

terminal leaflets ± distinct.

Cauline leaves

1–2;

blade reduced.

Inflorescences

(10–)30–200-flowered, 3–8(–30) cm diam.

(1–)5–40-flowered, open, (1–)1.5–8(–10) cm diam.

Pedicels

5–30 mm.

2–15(–30) mm.

Flowers

5–8 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets oblong to broadly ovate or orbiculate, 0.2–0.5 mm;

hypanthium 0.5–1.5 × 2–3 mm;

sepals 1–2 mm, apex obtuse to acute;

petals white, broadly obovate to orbiculate, 2–2.5 mm;

stamens 15, filaments 1.2–1.8 mm, anthers purple, broadly obcordate to pouch-shaped, 0.3–0.4 mm;

carpels 1, styles 2–3 mm.

4–10 mm diam.;

epicalyx bractlets 5, narrowly lanceolate to ovate, 0.8–2.5 mm;

hypanthium patelliform, 0.5–2 × 2–4 mm;

sepals (1.2–)1.5–4 mm, acute;

petals white or pale yellow, oblanceolate to narrowly spatulate, 1.5–2.5 mm;

stamens 5, filaments 0.5–1.1 mm, anthers yellow, sometimes with reddish margins, oblong, 0.4–0.7 mm;

carpels (1–)3–8, styles 0.9–1.8 mm.

Achenes

mottled grayish brown, 1.7–2 mm.

greenish white to light tan, 1.5–2 mm, smooth or rugose, ± carunculate.

2n

= 28.

Ivesia santolinoides

Ivesia baileyi

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry sandy granitic soil, decomposed granite accumulations, ledges and outcrops, in montane and subalpine conifer woodlands
Elevation 1500–3600 m (4900–11800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Ivesia santolinoides is found on loose granitic substrates in the Sierra Nevada, Transverse Ranges, and San Jacinto Mountains from El Dorado to Riverside counties. The species is easily recognized by its silvery mousetail-like leaves and erect, diffuse inflorescences with small, plumlike flowers.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The two varieties accepted here were not recognized by D. D. Keck (1938), who instead treated Ivesia setosa as a variety of I. baileyi. Field investigations confirm that the three entities are reasonably distinct morphologically, with intergradation where their otherwise distinct ranges overlap in central Nevada.

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

Key
1. Petals pale yellow; hypanthium interior yellow to golden; epicalyx bractlets ± 3/4 to as long as sepals; achenes smooth.
var. baileyi
1. Petals white; hypanthium interior pale green or cream to maroon; epicalyx bractlets usually less than 1/2 as long as sepals; achenes rugose.
var. beneolens
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 246. FNA vol. 9, p. 226.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Stellariopsis Rosaceae > subfam. Rosoideae > tribe Potentilleae > Ivesia > sect. Setosae
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. muirii, I. multifoliolata, I. paniculata, I. patellifera, I. pickeringii, I. pityocharis, I. pygmaea, I. rhypara, I. sabulosa, I. saxosa, I. sericoleuca, I. setosa, I. shockleyi, I. tweedyi, I. unguiculata, I. utahensis, I. webberi
I. aperta, I. argyrocoma, I. arizonica, 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, I. webberi
Subordinate taxa
I. baileyi var. baileyi, I. baileyi var. beneolens
Synonyms Potentilla santolinoides, Stellariopsis santolinoides Potentilla baileyi
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 531. (1865) S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 90. (1871)
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