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bighead rockdaisy, large head rock daisy, limestone rockdaisy, Nevada Rock daisy

Stansbury's Rock daisy

Habit Perennials or subshrubs, 15–55 cm (often dense, profusely branched clumps, sparsely leafy); densely hirtellous. Perennials or subshrubs, 7–45 cm (often dense clumps to 60 cm across); hirtellous.
Leaves

petioles 1–6 mm;

blades usually elliptic, lanceolate, lance-ovate, ovate, or suborbiculate, sometimes linear, 4–8(–15) × 1–10(–12) mm, margins entire, irregularly and sparsely serrate, or serrate-lobed.

petioles 3–10 mm;

blades subdeltate, suborbiculate, or subovate, 3–14 × 3–15 mm, margins usually 2–5-lobed or serrate, sometimes subentire or 3-lobed.

Peduncles

10–45(–80) mm.

5–60 mm.

Involucres

campanulate.

campanulate.

Ray florets

0.

6–14;

corollas yellow, laminae 3–6 × 1.2–3 mm.

Disc florets

45–60;

corollas yellow, tubes 1–1.6 mm, throats tubular to subfunnelform, 1.6–2.2 mm, lobes 0.4–0.7 mm.

60–80;

corollas yellow, tubes 1.2–1.5 mm, throats tubular to subfunnelform, 2.4–3 mm, lobes 0.4–0.6 mm.

Phyllaries

14–20, lanceolate to suboblanceolate, 5–6 × 1.3–1.9 mm.

14–22, lanceolate to broadly oblanceolate, 5–6 × 1–2 mm.

Heads

borne singly or (2–3) in loose, corymbiform arrays, 6–9(–10) × 5–6(–8) mm.

borne singly or in corymbiform arrays, 7–8 × 5–9 mm.

Cypselae

narrowly oblanceolate to suboblanceolate, 2.5–3 mm, margins thin-calloused, short-hairy;

pappi 0, or of single bristles.

narrowly oblanceolate, 2–3.5 mm, margins thin-calloused, short-hairy;

pappi of single, ± stout bristles 2.5–4 mm plus crowns of vestigial, hyaline scales.

2n

= 34.

Perityle megalocephala

Perityle stansburyi

Phenology Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Rock crevices
Elevation 1200–2600 m (3900–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NV; UT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Perityle stansburii with its large habit, relatively broad leaves, radiate heads, bristle pappus, chromosome number, and wide distribution, fills most expectations as the ancestral taxon of the group of related species called the “southwestern alliance.” This natural assemblage of taxa, which is thought to have evolved through geographic displacement and subsequent genetic differentiation, includes P. congesta, P. gracilis, P. intricata, P. inyoensis, P. megalocephala, P. specuicola, P. tenella, and P. villosa. These taxa, which are found mostly to the south and west of P. stansburii, all have rayless heads and may or may not have pappus bristles. In western and northwestern Utah and adjacent Nevada, P. stansburii occurs in crevices of rock exposures.

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

Key
1. Leaf blades ovate, lanceolate-ovate or elliptic to suborbiculate
var. megalocephala
1. Leaf blades linear to lanceolate
var. oligophylla
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 326. FNA vol. 21, p. 326.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Peritylinae > Perityle > sect. Laphamia Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Peritylinae > Perityle > sect. Laphamia
Sibling taxa
P. aglossa, P. ajoensis, P. ambrosiifolia, P. angustifolia, P. bisetosa, P. cernua, P. ciliata, P. cinerea, P. cochisensis, P. congesta, P. coronopifolia, P. dissecta, P. emoryi, P. fosteri, P. gilensis, P. gracilis, P. huecoensis, P. intricata, P. inyoensis, P. lemmonii, P. lindheimeri, P. microglossa, P. parryi, P. quinqueflora, P. rupestris, P. saxicola, P. specuicola, P. stansburyi, P. staurophylla, P. tenella, P. vaseyi, P. villosa, P. vitreomontana, P. warnockii
P. aglossa, P. ajoensis, P. ambrosiifolia, P. angustifolia, P. bisetosa, P. cernua, P. ciliata, P. cinerea, P. cochisensis, P. congesta, P. coronopifolia, P. dissecta, P. emoryi, P. fosteri, P. gilensis, P. gracilis, P. huecoensis, P. intricata, P. inyoensis, P. lemmonii, P. lindheimeri, P. megalocephala, P. microglossa, P. parryi, P. quinqueflora, P. rupestris, P. saxicola, P. specuicola, P. staurophylla, P. tenella, P. vaseyi, P. villosa, P. vitreomontana, P. warnockii
Subordinate taxa
P. megalocephala var. megalocephala, P. megalocephala var. oligophylla
Synonyms Laphamia megalocephala Laphamia stansburii
Name authority (S. Watson) J. F. Macbride: Contr. Gray Herb. 56: 39. (1918) (A. Gray) J. F. Macbride: Contr. Gray Herb. 56: 39. (1918)
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