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common Townsend daisy, common townsendia, slender townsendia

Townsend daisy, townsendia

Habit Perennials, 1–3 cm (± pulvinate). Annuals, biennials, or perennials, 1–2(–3) or (1–)5–15(–75+) cm (usually taprooted or developing ± woody caudices, sometimes rhizomatous).
Stems

± erect;

internodes 0.1–1 mm, strigose.

decumbent to erect, branched from bases and/or distally, glabrate, glabrous, hispidulous, pilose, piloso-hirsute, piloso-strigose, scabrellous, sericeous, strigillose, strigoso-scabrellous, strigose, or villous.

Leaves

basal and cauline, blades spatulate to narrowly obovate, (8–)12–25(–40+) × 1–2(–3+) mm, ± fleshy, faces ± strigose to strigillose or glabrate.

basal and/or cauline; alternate; ± petiolate (petioles grading into blades);

blades 1-nerved, mostly spatulate to oblanceolate, lanceolate, or linear, margins usually entire, rarely toothed or lobed, faces glabrous, glabrate, pilose, scabrellous, sericeous, strigose, strigillose, or villous, abaxial often gland-dotted.

Involucres

± campanulate, 8–12(–20+) mm diam.

campanulate to hemispheric or broader, 4–25(–35+) mm diam.

Receptacles

usually flat or convex (conic in T. formosa), smooth or pitted (hairy or glabrous), epaleate.

Ray florets

13–34+;

corollas usually white or pinkish, seldom blue, adaxially, laminae 5–7(–12+) mm, abaxially usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely glandular-puberulent.

(4–)13–34(–67+), pistillate, fertile;

corollas usually white, pink, bluish, or lavender (yellow in T. aprica).

Disc florets

40–80+;

corollas 4–6+ mm.

(16–)30–100(–200+), bisexual, fertile;

corollas yellow (sometimes tinged with cyan), tubes shorter than cylindro-funnelform throats, lobes 5, usually erect, sometimes spreading, lance-deltate to lance-oblong;

style-branch appendages lance-deltate to attenuate.

Phyllaries

40–50+ in 4–5+ series, the longer ± lanceolate, 7–9(–12) mm (l/w = 2.5–5), apices acute to attenuate, abaxial faces sparsely strigose or glabrous.

persistent, (16–)20–60(–80+) in [2–]3–7+ series, 1-nerved (± flat, not notably keeled), usually ± lanceolate or ovate, sometimes filiform, lance-linear, lance-ovate, linear, obovate, oblanceolate, or subulate, unequal (outer shorter), herbaceous, margins ± scarious (often finely erose to fimbrillate), abaxial faces usually strigose to strigillose, sometimes glabrate, glabrous, glandular-puberulent, piloso-strigose, pilose, or villous.

Heads

usually ± sessile, rarely on scapiform peduncles 5–15+ mm.

radiate, borne singly (± sessile among rosette leaves, or at ends of leafy stems, or on scapiform peduncles).

Cypselae

3+ mm, faces glabrous or sparsely hairy (hairs mostly at bases), hair tips glochidiform;

pappi persistent;

on ray cypselae ca. 25 lanceolate or subulate to setiform scales 0–1 or 5–8 mm;

on disc cypselae ca. 30 subulate to setiform scales 5–8 mm.

(± stramineous) ± flattened, obovate to oblanceolate, 2(–3)-nerved, faces glabrate or hairy (hair tips entire, forked, or glochidiform);

pappi persistent or readily falling, of 12–35+, ± lanceolate or subulate to setiform scales (= flattened bristles of some authors; often less well developed on ray cypselae).

x

= 9.

2n

= 18.

Townsendia leptotes

Townsendia

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Rocky ridges, sandy slopes
Elevation (2300–)2900–3800 m ((7500–)9500–12500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
w North America; Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 27 (26 in the flora).

J. H. Beaman (1957) noted that apomixis (asexual production of seeds) is characteristic of some townsendias. Apomictic populations may be locally or regionally fairly uniform and differ from other apomictic populations or population systems within single taxonomic species. Consequently, the evolutionary history within Townsendia and the species concepts used in the taxonomy of Townsendia may differ from those encountered in genera that do not include apomictic plants. Hybrids between sexual plants may be perpetuated as apomicts.

Taxonomic disposition of Townsendia beamanii S. L. Welsh is not clear; the type may have resulted from hybridization between T. annua and T. incana.

Petioles and blades of townsendias intergrade; leaf descriptions and measurements here include petioles plus blades. Ratios of lengths to widths of phyllaries are expressed as “l/w = 2.5–5,” etc.

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

Key
1. Stems ± villous; pappi readily falling
→ 2
1. Stems usually hispidulous, scabrellous, strigose, or strigillose, sometimes glabrate or hirsute, pilose, piloso-hirsute, piloso-strigose, or strigoso-scabrellous, rarely glabrous; pappi persistent
→ 4
2. Involucres (12–)16–30 mm diam.; phyllaries 45–60+ in 5+ series, the longer 9–11 mm
T. condensata
2. Involucres 4–12(–16) mm diam.; phyllaries 16–26+ in 3–4 series, the longer 5–8(–9) mm
→ 3
3. Involucres 6–12(–16) mm diam.; cypselae hairy; pappi 4.5–6+ mm
T. spathulata
3. Involucres 4–8 mm diam.; cypselae glabrate or glabrous; pappi 3–5 mm
T. microcephala
4. Annuals, biennials, or perennials, (1–)3–12(–75+) cm (seldom pulvinate, caudices seldom branched); internodes (0.1–)2–20(–35+) mm; leaves basal and cauline or mostly cauline; heads usually at tips of ± leafy stems (usually surpassed by closely subtending leaves)
→ 5
4. Perennials, mostly 1–3(–5+) cm (usually ± pulvinate, caudices usually branched; plants to 12+ cm in T. scapigera and T. smithii); internodes mostly 0.1–1(–2) mm; leaves basal and cauline; heads ± sessile (nested among rosette leaves) or on ± scapiform peduncles (5–)15–60(–120) mm
→ 15
5. Involucres (8–)12–25(–35+) mm diam.; phyllaries (30–)40–60(–80+) in 4–7+ series
→ 6
5. Involucres 3–20(–30) mm diam.; phyllaries 16–30(–40+) in 3–4(–5) series
→ 10
6. Leaf faces usually ± strigose, sometimes glabrate, abaxially (phyllary apices acute to attenuate, soft, not hard and apiculate)
→ 7
6. Leaf faces usually glabrous or glabrate (sometimes sparsely strigillose) abaxially (sometimes strigoso-ciliate on margins and midribs); phyllary apices often hard, ± apiculate
→ 8
7. Longer phyllaries 5–9+ mm; disc florets 80–120+; ray pappi 0.5–0.8(–2+) mm
T. texensis
7. Longer phyllaries 10–15+ mm; disc florets 150–200+; ray pappi 3.5–4 (–7.5) mm
T. parryi
8. Cypselae glabrous or stipitate-glandular (hair tips not forked or glochidiform)
T. formosa
8. Cypselae hairy (hair tips forked or glochidiform)
→ 9
9. Phyllaries (30–)60–80+, (7–)12–13+ mm; disc pappi 8–12+, lanceolate scales 0.5–1 mm plus 1–2+, subulate to setiform scales 1–4 mm
T. eximia
9. Phyllaries 30–40+, 8–10(–12+) mm; disc pappi 15–30, subulate to setiform scales (4–)5–6 mm
T. grandiflora
10. Annuals; disc pappi 1–2.5(–4) mm
T. annua
10. Biennials or perennials; disc pappi (2.5–)4–7+ mm
→ 11
11. Cypselae: hair tips entire or forked
T. florifera
11. Cypselae: hair tips glochidiform
→ 12
12. Perennials; internodes densely hispidulous, piloso-hirsute, piloso-strigose, or strigoso-scabrellous (stem surfaces usually hidden by hairs)
→ 13
12. Biennials or perennials; internodes pilose, piloso-strigose, strigose, or strigillose (stem surfaces seldom hidden by hairs)
→ 14
13. Ray laminae 5–8(–12+) mm; disc pappi of 15–30+ scales 4–6+ mm
T. incana
13. Ray laminae 3–5+ mm; disc pappi of 12–15+ scales 2.5–3+ mm
T. gypsophila
14. Perennials; leaves narrowly oblanceolate to linear, 1–2(–3.5) mm wide; disc corollas 2–3.5+ mm
T. fendleri
14. Biennials; leaves spatulate to oblanceolate or linear, 2–7(–9) mm wide; disc corollas 3.5–5 mm
T. strigosa
15. Longer phyllaries narrowly lanceolate, lance-linear, linear, or subulate (l/w = 5–9+)
→ 16
15. Longer phyllaries usually ± lanceolate, sometimes lance-ovate, obovate, oblanceolate, or ovate (l/w = 2.5–5)
→ 18
16. Involucres (10–)12–25+ mm diam.; longer phyllaries (10–)12–14(–17) mm; disc corollas 6.5–9(–12+) mm; disc pappi 6.5–11+ mm
T. exscapa
16. Involucres 7–12(–20+) mm diam.; longer phyllaries 6–9(–13) mm; disc corollas 3.5–6+ mm; disc pappi 4–6(–7.5)+ mm
→ 17
17. Involucres 8–18+ mm diam.; longer phyllaries 7–11(–13) mm; ray laminae 8–12+ mm, glabrous abaxially
T. hookeri
17. Involucres 7–10 mm diam.; longer phyllaries 6–8+ mm; ray laminae 4–8+ mm, glandular-puberulent abaxially
T. mensana
18. Ray laminae usually ± densely glandular-puberulent abaxially (sometimes glabrous in T. montana)
→ 19
18. Ray laminae usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely glandular-puberulent, abaxially
→ 22
19. Ray corollas yellow adaxially
T. aprica
19. Ray corollas usually white, sometimes pink or blue, adaxially
→ 20
20. Longer phyllaries (7–)9–13 mm, abaxially piloso-strigose to strigose; ray florets 18–35
T. scapigera
20. Longer phyllaries 4–9 mm, abaxially glabrous, glabrate, or sparsely strigillose; ray florets 13–21+
→ 21
21. Heads usually on scapiform peduncles 5–60+ mm, sometimes sessile; cypselae 4.5 mm
T. montana
21. Heads usually sessile, sometimes on scapiform peduncles 5–15+ mm; cypselae 2–3(–4+) mm
T. jonesii
22. Cypselae hairy (hair tips entire or forked)
→ 23
22. Cypselae glabrous or sparsely hairy (hairs mostly at bases, hair tips glochidiform)
→ 24
23. Heads ± sessile; pappi 3–5 mm
T. minima
23. Heads on scapiform peduncles 30–80(–120) mm; pappi 0.2–0.8 mm
T. smithii
24. Involucres 12–28+ mm diam.; longer phyllaries obovate to oblanceolate
T. rothrockii
24. Involucres 8–12(–24) mm diam.; longer phyllaries ± lanceolate
→ 25
25. Heads usually on scapiform peduncles 10–20(–70) mm, rarely ± sessile; phyllaries 20–28+ in 3–4+ series, 5–9 mm
T. glabella
25. Heads usually sessile, rarely on scapiform peduncles 5–15+ mm; phyllaries 40–50+ in 4+ series, 7–9(–12) mm
T. leptotes
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 203. FNA vol. 20, p. 193. Author: John L. Strother.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Townsendia Asteraceae > tribe Astereae
Sibling taxa
T. annua, T. aprica, T. condensata, T. eximia, T. exscapa, T. fendleri, T. florifera, T. formosa, T. glabella, T. grandiflora, T. gypsophila, T. hookeri, T. incana, T. jonesii, T. mensana, T. microcephala, T. minima, T. montana, T. parryi, T. rothrockii, T. scapigera, T. smithii, T. spathulata, T. strigosa, T. texensis
Subordinate taxa
T. annua, T. aprica, T. condensata, T. eximia, T. exscapa, T. fendleri, T. florifera, T. formosa, T. glabella, T. grandiflora, T. gypsophila, T. hookeri, T. incana, T. jonesii, T. leptotes, T. mensana, T. microcephala, T. minima, T. montana, T. parryi, T. rothrockii, T. scapigera, T. smithii, T. spathulata, T. strigosa, T. texensis
Synonyms T. sericea var. leptotes
Name authority (A. Gray) Osterhout: Muhlenbergia 4: 69. (1908) Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 16, plate 119. (1834)
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