Flora of North America species comparison

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Psilocarphus brevissimus

Psilocarphus brevissimus var. brevissimus

dwarf woolly-heads, dwarf woolly-marbles, Robbin's pondweed, short woollyheads, woolly marbles
Photo is of parent taxon

dwarf woolly-heads, short woollyheads, woolly heads
Habit Plants greenish to grayish, sericeous to densely lanuginose. Plants lanuginose to sericeous.
Stems

(1–)2–10, erect to prostrate;

proximal internode lengths mostly 0.5–1.5(–2) times leaf lengths.

(1–)2–10, ascending to ± prostrate (sometimes erect).
Receptacles

unlobed or ± lobed.

unlobed or shallowly lobed.
Heads

± spheric, rarely ovoid, largest 6–14 mm.

± spheric, largest 6–9 mm, usually densely lanuginose.
Cypselae

narrowly obovoid, ± compressed, 0.8–1.9 mm.

Capitular

leaves ± erect, appressed to heads (sometimes spreading), linear-lanceolate to ovate, widest in proximal 2/3, longest 8–25 mm, lengths mostly 1.5–6 times widths, 1–2.5(–3) times head heights.

leaves: longest mostly 8–15 mm, lengths 1.5–4 times widths.
Pistillate

paleae hidden by or visible through indument, longest 2.8–4 mm (lengths 1.5–6 times longest diams.; wings subapical to ± median).

paleae obovoid, lengths 1.5–3 times longest diams.;

wings supramedian to subapical.
Staminate

corollas 0.8–1.6 mm, lobes mostly 5.

2n

= 28.

= 28.

Psilocarphus brevissimus

Psilocarphus brevissimus var. brevissimus
Phenology Flowering and fruiting mid Mar–mid Aug.
Habitat Drying margins of seasonally inundated sites (vernal pools, ditches), sometimes alkaline
Elevation 10–2500 m (0–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK; s South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK; Mexico (Baja California); South America (Argentina, Chile)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Variety brevissimus occupies nearly the full range of the genus (uncommon west of the Cascade Range); some occurrences toward the northeast appear to be recent introductions.

Plants named Psilocarphus globiferus are superficially somewhat intermediate between P. brevissimus and P. tenellus, as are populations from southern California mountains with leaves somewhat shorter, broader, and less hairy than typical P. brevissimus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Heads ± spheric, largest 6–9 mm, receptacles unlobed or shallowly lobed; pistillate paleae obovoid, lengths 1.5–3 times longest diams., wings supramedian to subapical
var. brevissimus
1. Heads ovoid, largest 9–14 mm, receptacles deeply lobed; pistillate paleae ± cylindric, lengths mostly 3.5–6 times longest diams., wings ± median
var. multiflorus
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 458. FNA vol. 19, p. 458.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Gnaphalieae > Psilocarphus Asteraceae > tribe Gnaphalieae > Psilocarphus > Psilocarphus brevissimus
Sibling taxa
P. chilensis, P. elatior, P. oregonus, P. tenellus
P. brevissimus var. multiflorus
Subordinate taxa
P. brevissimus var. brevissimus, P. brevissimus var. multiflorus
Synonyms P. globiferus
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 340. (1840) unknown
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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