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low ninebark, mountain nine-bark

Habit Shrubs, 10 dm.
Stems

often decumbent, spreading, reddish brown becoming dark gray, glabrous or sparsely stellate-hairy.

Leaves

stipules linear to narrowly elliptic or subulate, 4–5 × 1 mm, base attenuate, apex acute;

petiole 0.5–2.2 cm;

blade broadly ovate, 1.5–4 × 2–4.5 cm, sometimes wider than long, base usually truncate to cordate, rarely broadly cuneate, 0 or 1–5-lobed, margins doubly crenate to doubly serrate, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous or sparsely stellate-hairy.

Inflorescences

10(–15)–30-flowered, fairly dense, hemispheric racemes, 4 cm diam.;

bracts linear to narrowly elliptic or narrowly obovate, 2–4 mm, apex acute, rarely 2-fid.

Pedicels

8–18 mm, sparsely to moderately stellate-hairy.

Flowers

8–10 mm diam.;

hypanthium cup-shaped, 1.7–2 mm, sparsely to moderately stellate-hairy;

sepals triangular to ovate, 3 mm, apex gland-tipped, surfaces sparsely to moderately stellate-hairy;

petals white, broadly elliptic to orbiculate, 4.5 × 4 mm;

stamens 20–40, ± equal to petals;

carpels (1)2(3), connate at least 1/2 their lengths, densely stellate-hairy.

Seeds

1–3, pyriform, 2–2.5 mm.

Follicles

(1)2(3), inflated, 2.5 mm (lengths shorter than sepals), densely stellate-hairy, hairs white;

styles 3.5 mm.

2n

= 18.

Physocarpus monogynus

Phenology Flowering May–Aug; fruiting Jul–Oct.
Habitat Open rocky wooded slopes, seepage ledges, canyons
Elevation 1800–2600 m (5900–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; MT; NM; NV; OK; SD; TX; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 350.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Neillieae > Physocarpus
Sibling taxa
P. alternans, P. capitatus, P. intermedius, P. malvaceus, P. opulifolius
Synonyms Spiraea monogyna
Name authority (Torrey) J. M. Coulter: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 2: 104. (1891)
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