Flora of North America species comparison

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Parthenium argentatum

guayule
Habit Shrubs, 30–100+ cm.
Leaf

blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, 15–25(–40+) × 6–15(–25+) mm, margins mostly entire, some with 1–2(–5) sharp teeth, faces densely strigillose (gray to white) and obscurely or not at all gland-dotted.
Peduncles

1–2(–6+) mm.
Pistillate florets

5;

corolla laminae ovate, 1.2–1.5 mm.
Disc florets

20–30+.
Phyllaries

outer 5 oval-elliptic, 2.5–3+ mm, inner 5 ± orbiculate, 3.5–4 mm.
Heads

radiate, in glomerules of 3–5+ at ends of ± ebracteate stalks 8–15(–20+) cm.
Cypselae

± obovoid, 2.5–3 mm; pappus-like enations 2(–4), erect to spreading, ± subulate, 0.3–0.8 mm.
2n

= 36.

Parthenium argentatum
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Calcareous soils
Elevation 1000–1500 m (3300–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Guayule has sometimes been used for commercial production of natural rubber. Hybrids between Parthenium argentatum and P. incanum have been noted.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 21.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Ambrosiinae > Parthenium
Sibling taxa
P. alpinum, P. confertum, P. hysterophorus, P. incanum, P. integrifolium, P. ligulatum
Name authority A. Gray: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 86. (1859)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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