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desert palafox, Spanish needle

small palafox, small palafoxia

Habit Annuals, 10–200 cm. Annuals, 20–60 cm.
Stems

scabrous to nearly glabrous, sometimes distally stipitate-glandular.

scabrous to glabrate, not stipitate-glandular.

Leaf

blades lance-linear to linear, 20–120 × 2–55 mm.

blades linear, 20–70 × 1–4 mm.

Involucres

cylindric to narrowly turbinate.

± turbinate.

Ray florets

0.

0.

Disc florets

9–40;

corollas ± actinomorphic, 9–13 mm, throats ± cylindric, longer than lobes.

5–30;

corollas actinomorphic, 5–6 mm, throats ± funnelform, shorter than lobes.

Phyllaries

± equal, 10–25 × 1–2.5 mm, ± scabrous, sometimes stipitate-glandular.

3–5 × 1+ mm, ± equal, ± strigillose, not stipitate-glandular.

Cypselae

10–16 mm;

pappus scales of inner cypselae 8–12 mm.

3–5 mm;

pappus scales of inner cypselae 0.3–1 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 20.

Palafoxia arida

Palafoxia callosa

Phenology Flowering late winter–spring(–summer). Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Sandy soils Rocky, calcareous soils
Elevation 30–1000 m (100–3300 ft) 50–300 m (200–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; MO; TX; Mexico (Coahuila)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants of Palafoxia arida 90–150 cm with phyllaries 16–25 mm (from dunes west of Yuma, Arizona) have been treated as var. gigantea. Plants referable to P. arida have been named P. linearis (Cavanilles) Lagasca (including var. gigantea M. E. Jones) in other floras; P. linearis is a Mexican species (see B. L. Turner and M. I. Morris 1976).

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

Some depauperate specimens of Palafoxia rosea (e.g., Oklahoma, Beckham Co., 17 Oct 1936, Eskero 1502, US) closely resemble P. callosa.

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

Source FNA vol. 21, p. 390. FNA vol. 21, p. 390.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Palafoxia Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Palafoxia
Sibling taxa
P. callosa, P. feayi, P. hookeriana, P. integrifolia, P. reverchonii, P. riograndensis, P. rosea, P. sphacelata, P. texana
P. arida, P. feayi, P. hookeriana, P. integrifolia, P. reverchonii, P. riograndensis, P. rosea, P. sphacelata, P. texana
Synonyms P. arida var. gigantea Stevia callosa
Name authority B. L. Turner & M. I. Morris: Madroño 23: 79. (1975) (Nuttall) Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 369. (1842)
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