Ivesia unguiculata
Ivesia kingii
Yosemite ivesia, Yosemite mousetail
Ash Meadows ivesia, King's ivesia, King's mousetail
decumbent to ascending, 1–3.5 dm.
usually prostrate-decumbent to ascending, sometimes ± erect, 1–4(–5.5) dm.
(4–)7–15 cm; sheathing base ± glabrous abaxially;
stipules linear, 3–6 mm;
petiole (0.3–)0.5–4(–5) cm, hairs sparse to abundant, ascending to spreading, 1–2 mm;
leaflets 15–20(–25) per side, loosely overlapping, 3–6 mm, lobes 3–8, linear to oblanceolate, hairs sparse to abundant, spreading, 1–2 mm.
5–20 cm; sheathing base glabrous or densely strigose abaxially;
stipules absent or linear to lanceolate, 1–4 mm;
petiole 0.2–1.2 cm, hairs absent or sparse to dense, appressed or ascending, 0.5–2 mm;
leaflets 15–60 per side, loosely to tightly overlapping, (1.8–)2–6(–8) mm, lobes (0–)2–4, narrowly oblanceolate to obovate, hairs absent or sparse to dense, ± appressed, 0.2–0.5(–1) mm.
3–6.
4–15.
(15–)30–100(–200)-flowered, (1–)1.5–4(–8) cm diam., flowers mostly arranged in 1–several loose to tight glomerules of 5–10 flowers.
5–100-flowered, 1–12 cm diam., flowers arranged individually and/or in few to several loose glomerules of 2–10 flowers.
1–3 mm.
(1–)2–20(–25) mm.
6–9 mm diam.;
epicalyx bractlets linear or narrowly lanceolate to elliptic or narrowly oblong, 1.2–2(–3) mm;
hypanthium shallowly turbinate, 1.5–2.5 × 2–3(–3.5) mm, often nearly as deep as wide;
sepals heavily purple-mottled, (1.5–)2–3(–3.5) mm, acute;
petals white, often tinged with pink, oblanceolate to spatulate or obovate, 3–4 mm;
stamens 10–15, filaments filiform, 0.6–1.1 mm, anthers maroon, 0.3–0.5 mm;
carpels (1–)3–9, styles 1.4–2 mm.
8–12 mm diam.;
epicalyx bractlets lanceolate to elliptic or ovate, (0.8–)1–2(–2.5) mm;
hypanthium shallowly cupulate, 0.5–2 × 1.5–4 mm, ± 1/2 as deep as wide;
sepals sometimes purple-suffused, 2–4(–5) mm, narrowly acute to acuminate;
petals white, spatulate or obovate to orbiculate, (2.8–)3–5(–6) mm;
stamens 20, filaments filiform, 1.5–2.5 mm, anthers white to cream, 0.3–0.6 mm;
carpels 2–9, styles 2–2.5(–3) mm.
light brown, 1.2–1.5 mm.
light brown, 1.8–2.5 mm.
Ivesia unguiculata
Ivesia kingii
Of conservation concern.
Ivesia unguiculata is found in mid-elevation meadows of the central Sierra Nevada, mostly north of the Kings River. The distinctive deep red to purplish coloration of the inflorescence, and the plant in general, can make patches of this species conspicuous as a smoky purplish haze in meadows. The shape and color of the inflorescences are similar to those of the sympatric Horkelia fusca var. parviflora, suggesting shared pollinators.
The description and illustration by J. D. Hooker (1881), supposedly of Potentilla (Ivesia) unguiculata, were based actually on material grown from seed of I. sericoleuca due to initial confusion of the two species (W. H. Brewer et al. 1876–1880, vol. 1).
The type (Kellogg s.n., CAS) of Potentilla ciliata Greene (not Rafinesque) is unquestionably this species; however, the purported locality (Owens Valley, Inyo County) is dubious and most likely an error in the labeling of the specimen by the collector.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Significant variation in habit, indument, leaflet lobing, and compactness of inflorescence can be found among and within populations of Ivesia kingii; no taxonomic structure has yet been discerned beyond the varieties recognized here. The variation within widespread var. kingii suggests that var. eremica resulted from a southward, late Pleistocene migration of a hairy phase of I. kingii with compact leaflets out of the Great Basin onto the northern edge of the Mojave Desert (J. L. Reveal 1980). Although densely hairy plants are encountered widely in the Great Basin, only in the Ash Meadows area of southernmost Nye County, the home of var. eremica, is there a consistently hairy phase. The leaflets of var. eremica are so tightly compacted that individual leaflets cannot be distinguished; in var. kingii, leaflets are individually distinct, though plants from Mineral County sometimes approach var. eremica in this regard. In the field, shoots of var. kingii arise directly from a taproot with the spreading branches flowing outwardly from a single point of attachment. In var. eremica, older, mature plants form compact mats with short, spreading caudex branches.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaflets individually ± distinguishable, loosely to tightly overlapping; caudices simple or few branched; Great Basin, ec California, Nevada, w Utah. | var. kingii |
1. Leaflets mostly not individually distinguishable, tightly overlapping; caudices often much branched; n Mojave Desert, Nevada. | var. eremica |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
