The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

common Townsend daisy, common townsendia, slender townsendia

smooth Townsend daisy

Habit Perennials, 1–3 cm (± pulvinate). Biennials or perennials, 10–35(–75+) cm (usually rhizomatous and/or stoloniferous).
Stems

± erect;

internodes 0.1–1 mm, strigose.

erect;

internodes (5–)10–15(–35) mm, strigillose.

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 cauline, blades spatulate to oblanceolate or lance-linear, 15–45(–75+) × 2–10(–20) mm, not fleshy (margins strigoso-ciliolate), glabrous or glabrate.

Involucres

± campanulate, 8–12(–20+) mm diam.

± hemispheric or broader, 12–18+ mm diam.

Ray florets

13–34+;

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

20–34+;

corollas usually white or pinkish adaxially (abaxially blue to lavender), laminae 10–15(–25+) mm, glabrous abaxially.

Disc florets

40–80+;

corollas 4–6+ mm.

80–150+;

corollas 4 mm.

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.

30–45 in 4–6+ series, the longer obovate to lance-ovate or lanceolate, 10–12(–14) mm (l/w = 3–5), apices obtuse to acute (some or all hard, ± apiculate), abaxial faces sparsely strigillose or glabrous.

Heads

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

at tips of stems (seldom surpassed by leaves).

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.

3–4(–5) mm, faces glabrous or ± stipitate-glandular, hair tips not forked or glochidiform;

pappi persistent, each a bidentate corona 0.1–0.4(–0.8) mm.

2n

= 18.

= 18.

Townsendia leptotes

Townsendia formosa

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul. Flowering Jul–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Rocky ridges, sandy slopes Meadows, yellow-pine forests
Elevation (2300–)2900–3800 m ((7500–)9500–12500 ft) 2400–2600 m (7900–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 203. FNA vol. 20, p. 197.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Townsendia Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Townsendia
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
T. annua, T. aprica, T. condensata, T. eximia, T. exscapa, T. fendleri, T. florifera, 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) Greene: Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 213. (1906)
Web links