Lygodesmia texana
Lygodesmia grandiflora
Texas skeletonplant
largeflower skeletonplant, largeflower skeletonweed, rush-pink
erect, green, stout, branched from bases and distally, weakly striate, glabrous.
1–5, erect or ascending, green, simple or branched from bases, obscurely striate (glabrous, puberulent or scabrous).
(basal forming rosettes, sometimes withering before flowering) proximal blades linear, 100–200 × 1–8 mm, margins of usually pinnately laciniately lobed, lobes remote and narrow, 1–15 mm;
cauline similar, 5–10 mm, reduced to scales distally.
(basal not forming rosettes, cauline present at flowering);
basal blades linear to subulate, 5–150 × 1–6 mm, margins entire;
cauline similar, sometimes reduced to scales distally.
cylindric, 18–25 mm × 5–8 mm, apices narrow.
cylindric, 15–25 × 6–8 mm, apices narrowed or spreading.
8–12;
corollas usually pink, purple, or lavender, rarely white, 35–40 mm, ligules 5–6 mm wide.
5–12;
corollas 20–40 mm, lavender, pink, purple, rose, or white, ligules 5–10 mm wide.
8–10, linear, 18–26 mm, margins scarious, apices appendaged, faces glabrous or tomentulose.
5–12, linear, 15–24 mm, margins scarious, apices appendaged (faces glabrous or scabrous).
of 8–10, ovate bractlets 1–3 mm, margins ciliate-tomentulose.
of ca. 8, deltate to ovate bractlets 2–5 mm, margins ciliate (faces tomentulose).
borne singly.
(1–30, showy) borne singly or in loose, corymbiform arrays.
11–17 mm, faces smooth, adaxial not sulcate, glabrous;
pappi 10–15 mm.
(subcylindric, obscurely 4–5-angled) 10–18 mm (faces smooth or rugose, sometimes sulcate);
pappi 10–13 mm.
= 18.
= 18.
Lygodesmia texana
Lygodesmia grandiflora
Lygodesmia texana is easily distinguished by its laciniate-lobed basal leaves that form rosettes in younger stages, relatively large involucres and florets, phyllaries with an apical appendage, and smooth cypselae. It is closely related to L. aphylla, which has a more eastern distribution, lacks laciniate leaves in rosettes, and has sulcate cypselae. Lygodesmia texana apparently hybridizes with L. ramossisima in trans-Pecos Texas, and the two species can be difficult to distinguish (A. S. Tomb 1980).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).
Lygodesmia grandiflora is recognized mainly by its relatively large corollas. Some variants were segregated as distinct species by A. S. Tomb; because of intermediates, putative hybrids, and associated identification problems, it is probably best to recognize these as varieties pending further investigation (A. Cronquist 1994; S. L. Welsh et al. 2003).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Phyllaries 8–12; florets 8–12 | var. grandiflora |
1. Phyllaries 5(–6); florets 5(–7) | → 2 |
2. Corollas white (may turn pinkish when dry); stems (woody) branched from bases; leaves stiff, spreading; involucre apices spreading | var. entrada |
2. Corollas lavender, pink, purple, rose, or white; stems simple or branched from bases or distally (if branched from bases, either leaves lax or plants from vicinity of Moab, Utah); involucre apices narrow | → 3 |
3. Stems much branched from bases; proximal leaves narrow, linear-filiform, 1–3 mm wide, rigid | var. doloresensis |
3. Stems simple or sparsely branched from bases or distally; proximal leaves lanceolate to linear-subulate, (2–)3–6 mm wide, ± lax (widespread in southwestern states). | → 4 |
4. Distal leaves not reduced to scales (mostly 10+ mm); cypselae 10–13 mm, abaxial faces rugose, adaxial faces strongly sulcate | var. arizonica |
4. Distal leaves reduced to linear scales (mostly less than 10 mm); cypselae 13–19 mm, abaxial faces smooth, adaxial faces weakly sulcate | var. dianthopsis |
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