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fineleaf fournerve daisy, slimleaf actinea

bitterweed, four-nerve daisy

Habit Annuals, 16–50+ cm. Annuals or perennials, 2–50+ cm (perennials with ± branched, woody caudices).
Caudices

none.

Stems

1–10, erect or ± decumbent, leafy, unbranched or branched distally.

1–60, erect or ± decumbent, unbranched or sparingly branched distally.

Leaves

basal and cauline, ± hairy, ± gland-dotted;

basal blades spatulate to oblanceolate, entire or with 2–6 teeth or lobes;

proximal cauline blades narrowly spatulate or oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, entire or with 2–6 teeth or lobes;

mid blades oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate to linear, 0.9–9.5(–16) mm wide, entire or with 1–2 teeth or lobes;

distal blades narrowly oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate to linear, entire or with 1–2 teeth or lobes.

all basal, or basal-proximal, or basal and cauline; alternate; petiolate or sessile;

blades (usually with distinct midribs) mostly oblanceolate to linear or filiform, sometimes lobed, ultimate margins usually entire, sometimes toothed, faces glabrous or ± hairy, eglandular or ± gland-dotted.

Peduncles

8–29 cm, ± hairy.

Involucres

5–10 × 7–15 mm.

hemispheric to campanulate 6–20 mm diam.

Receptacles

hemispheric to conic, shallowly pitted or smooth, epaleate.

Ray florets

9–25;

corollas 8.2–16.8 mm.

0 or 7–27, pistillate, fertile;

corollas (usually marcescent) yellow (laminae fan-shaped to oblanceolate, usually 3-lobed).

Disc florets

50–200+;

corollas yellow, 1.6–3 mm.

20–250+, bisexual, fertile;

corollas yellow proximally, yellow or purplish distally, tubes shorter than cylindric to cylindro-campanulate throats, lobes 5, ± deltate.

Phyllaries

11–60+ in 3 series (mostly spreading to erect in fruit, distinct, herbaceous; outer with or without scarious margins, abaxial faces ± hairy; mid usually same number as, alternating with, and similar to outer, almost always with ± scarious margins; inner narrower than others, margins scarious).

Outer phyllaries

8–21, 2.4–5.5 mm, margins 0–0.2 mm wide, not scarious or scarious, abaxial faces ± hairy.

Heads

8–50(–80) per plant, borne singly or in corymbiform arrays.

radiate or discoid, borne singly or in paniculiform to corymbiform or fastigiate arrays.

Cypselae

1.5–2.6 mm;

pappi of 4–8 obovate, often aristate scales 1–2.5 mm.

± obpyramidal, moderately to densely hairy;

pappi persistent, of 4–8 usually aristate, scales.

x

= 15.

Tetraneuris linearifolia

Tetraneuris

Distribution
from FNA
KS; NM; OK; TX; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
North America; Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Plants of Tetraneuris linearifolia morphologically intermediate between the two varieties are found in Bee, Duval, Live Oak, and McMullen counties, Texas.

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

Species 9 (9 in the flora).

Here, strigoso-canescent refers to often silvery induments (hairs tightly appressed, relatively short, 1–1.5 mm) of Tetraneuris argentea and T. acaulis var. acaulis. Such induments contrast with lanuginose or sericeous induments (hairs spreading, ca 1.5–3 mm) in other taxa, including T. ivesiana and the other three varieties of T. acaulis.

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

Key
1. Stems erect, branched distally; leaves ± hairy, basal blades entire or with 2(–6) teeth or lobes, proximal cauline blades entire or with 1–2 teeth or lobes, mid blades (0.9–)1.4–3(–4.8) mm wide; involucres (7–)8–11(–12) mm diam.; pappus scales aristate; Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, on limestone-derived soils
var. linearifolia
1. Stems erect or ± decumbent, ± branched distally; leaves usually densely hairy, basal blades with 2–6 teeth or lobes, proximal cauline blades with 2(–6) teeth or lobes, mid blades (2.5–)3.9–9.5(–16) mm wide; involucres 12–15 mm diam.; pappus scales not aristate; s Texas on sand
var. arenicola
1. Annuals
T. linearifolia
1. Perennials (with caudices)
→ 2
2. Caudices: branches not notably thickened distally; leaves all basal-proximal (not tightly clustered, internodes often evident)
→ 3
2. Caudices: branches notably thickened distally; leaves all basal or basal and cauline (basal leaves tightly clustered, internodes usually not evident)
→ 4
3. Stems erect; leaves sparsely to densely hairy, not woolly; Colorado, Kansas,Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
T. scaposa
3. Stems erect or ± decumbent; leaves moderately to densely woolly; s Texas
T. turneri
4. Leaves basal and cauline
→ 5
4. Leaves all basal
→ 6
5. Leaf blades ± densely strigoso-canescent
T. argentea
5. Leaf blades glabrous or sparsely to moderately lanuginose to sericeous
T. ivesiana
6. Ray florets 0 (leaves densely hairy, not strigoso-canescent; Yavapai County,Arizona)
T. verdiensis
6. Ray florets usually 7–27 (if 0, leaves strigoso-canescent; widespread)
→ 7
7. Rays 14–27; pappus scales usually non-aristate; Ontario, Illinois, Ohio
T. herbacea
7. Rays 7–15(–21); pappus scales aristate; North Dakota to Texas and west
→ 8
8. Leaves (midribs usually distinct) glabrous or usually sparsely, sometimes moderately or densely hairy (not strigoso-canescent or sericeous), gland-dotted; outer phyllaries 4–8, margins (0.3–)0.5–1.2 mm wide, usuallyconspicuously scarious
T. torreyana
8. Leaves (midribs not very distinct) glabrous or ± hairy, often lanuginose, sericeous, or strigoso-canescent, eglandular or ± gland-dotted; outer phyllaries 6–12, margins 0–0.4 mm wide, sometimes slightly scarious
T. acaulis
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 448. FNA vol. 21, p. 447. Authors: Mark W. Bierner, Billie L. Turner.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Gaillardiinae > Tetraneuris Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Gaillardiinae
Sibling taxa
T. acaulis, T. argentea, T. herbacea, T. ivesiana, T. scaposa, T. torreyana, T. turneri, T. verdiensis
Subordinate taxa
T. linearifolia var. arenicola, T. linearifolia var. linearifolia
T. acaulis, T. argentea, T. herbacea, T. ivesiana, T. linearifolia, T. scaposa, T. torreyana, T. turneri, T. verdiensis
Synonyms Hymenoxys linearifolia
Name authority (Hooker) Greene: Pittonia 3: 269. (1898) Greene: Pittonia 3: 265. (1898)
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