Jamesia americana
American cliffbush, cliffbush, fivepetal cliffbush, waxflower
5–20(–40) dm.
exfoliating readily or tardily in reddish brown or blackish sheets, or gray to brown strips or strings.
spreading or ascending, often stunted and straggly;
twigs ascending-strigose.
petiole (1–)2–18(–54) mm, ascending-strigose to canescent or sericeous;
blade ovate or broadly ovate to obovate, rhombic, or suborbiculate, (0.7–)1.3–8(–10) × (0.5–)1–6.3(–8.5) cm, base cuneate to obtuse or rounded, usually asymmetric, margins crenate to dentate, (5–)9–51(–69)-toothed, apex obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface moderately to densely canescent or sericeous, adaxial sparsely strigose to glabrescent.
cymose, usually 3–35-flowered, rarely 1–2-flowered on lateral branches;
peduncle 0–30 mm, sparsely to densely strigose.
1.5–8 mm, sparsely to densely strigose.
hypanthium 1.3–2 × 2.5–4.5 mm, sparsely to densely strigose;
sepals 5, lanceolate to deltate-ovate, 1.5–7(–8) × 1.1–2 mm, margins usually entire, sometimes 2–3-lobed apically, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface sparsely to densely strigose;
petals 5, white or pink, (4–)5.5–11(–11.5) × 3–4.5 mm, sparsely to densely strigose or canescent, especially distally;
stamens 10;
filaments (2–)2.7–10 × (0.2–)0.5–1 mm;
anthers 0.7–1.1 mm;
styles (2–)3–5, 3–8 mm.
3.5–5.5(–7) × 2–3.8 mm.
0.6–1 mm.
= 32.
Jamesia americana
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).
N. H. Holmgren and P. K. Holmgren (1989) recognized subsp. americana, which is widespread in the eastern part of the species' range, and included only var. americana and subsp. californica (Small) A. E. Murray in the western part of the range, with three allopatric varieties: macrocalyx, rosea, and zionis.
The Chiricahua Apache and Mescalero Apache of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico used the seeds as food (D. E. Moerman 1998). The species has been cultivated as an ornamental since 1862 (R. A. Vines 1960).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Bark exfoliating readily in reddish brown or blackish sheets; leaf blade margins crenate to dentate, teeth (13–)19–51(–69); inflorescences (7–)15–35-flowered; se Arizona, c Colorado, New Mexico, se Wyoming. | var. americana |
1. Bark exfoliating tardily in gray or brown strips or strings; leaf blade margins dentate, teeth (5–)9–27(–33); inflorescences (1–)3–12(–19)-flowered; s California, s Nevada, Utah. | → 2 |
2. Petals usually pink, rarely white; sepals (1.5–)1.9–4(–6) mm; s California, s Nevada. | var. rosea |
2. Petals white or pinkish white; sepals (2.5–)3–7(–8) mm; Utah. | → 3 |
3. Leaf blades (0.7–)1.2–3(–3.9) × (0.5–)0.8–1.8(–3.2) cm; n Utah. | var. macrocalyx |
3. Leaf blades (2.5–)3–5(–5.5) × (1.3–)2–4(–4.5) cm; sw Utah. | var. zionis |
CalFlora
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
