Arida riparia |
Arida parviflora |
|
---|---|---|
alkali aster, Chiricahua Mountain tansy-aster |
small-flower tansy-aster |
|
Habit | Annuals, 25–60 cm; taproots slender to thick. | Annuals or short-lived perennials, 10–50 cm; taproots slender to ± thickened. |
Stems | 1–12+, erect or ascending, straight and rigid, sometimes sprawling from base, branching from base and distally, glabrous, glaucous. |
1–15+, mostly erect to ascending, rarely reclining, slender, much branched distally or throughout, glaucous, glabrous or sparsely gland-dotted from midstem distally. |
Leaves | mostly cauline; sessile (± appressed); blades oblanceolate, 20–30 × 3–5 mm, reduced distally, (thick, succulent) bases broadened, margins entire (incised to dentate in hybrids with A. parviflora) eciliate or with 1–8 cilia per side, apices linear, spiny-mucronate, glabrous; distal subulate, entire. |
mostly cauline; sessile; blades lanceolate to oblong, reduced distally, 10–30 × 2–7 mm, bases often clasping, margins shallowly or deeply pinnatifid to 2-pinnatifid, toothed, or entire, apices apiculate to rounded, faces glabrous to sparsely stipitate-glandular; distal ascending to appressed. |
Involucres | hemispheric, 10–12 × 10–16 mm (fresh). |
hemispheric, 3–5 × 4–6 mm (fresh). |
Ray florets | 50–80+; laminae bluish purple to lavender, 10–12 mm, coiled after flowering. |
10–30+; laminae violet-blue to lavender, rarely whitish, 6–8 mm, coiled after flowering. |
Disc florets | 45–100+; corollas yellow, 3.5–5 mm. |
18–40+; corollas yellow, 4–5 mm. |
Phyllaries | in 4–5 series, appressed, linear-lanceolate, 2–8 mm, bases whitish to tan, margins entire to laciniate, apices green, acute to acuminate, glabrous. |
in 3–4 series, ± appressed, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 1–4 mm, bases whitish, margins ± entire, apices green or purple, mostly acute, minutely glandular. |
Heads | borne singly (terminal), often in loose, leafy, cymiform arrays. |
borne singly (terminal), in loose, leafy, corymbiform arrays. |
Cypselae | oblanceoloid, 2.5–3 mm, 11–13-nerved per face, faces sparsely sericeous; pappi: white, setose; ray 3–3.5 mm; disc 3–4 mm. |
oblanceolate, 1.5–2 mm, 8–10 per face, faces moderately sericeous; pappi setose; ray 0 or white, 1–1.5 mm; disc whitish, 4–5.5 mm. |
2n | = 10. |
= 10. |
Arida riparia |
Arida parviflora |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Sep. | Flowering Jul–Oct. |
Habitat | Low valleys, saline soils on mudflats, edges of playas | Saline flats, playas, swales, sandy areas, river margins |
Elevation | 1300–1400 m (4300–4600 ft) | 1100–1700 m (3600–5600 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas) |
AZ; CO; NM; TX; UT; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila) |
Discussion | Arida riparia is a distinctive species recognized by its V-shaped branching, narrow, succulent, somewhat appressed, spiny-tipped leaves, and relatively large heads. It is known to hybridize with A. parviflora in southeastern Arizona and adjacent New Mexico. Specimens with dentate leaf margins usually represent hybrids. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Arida parviflora is recognized by its wiry stems, small, deeply pinnatifid leaves, rather small involucres, and ray cypselae usually with pappi. This species is often described as being an annual; however, some specimens have a large, woody root and well-developed branching crown like a perennial plant. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 20, p. 405. | FNA vol. 20, p. 405. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Aster riparius, Machaeranthera riparia, Machaeranthera sonorae | Machaeranthera parviflora |
Name authority | (Kunth) D. R. Morgan & R. L. Hartman: Sida 20: 1414. (2003) | (A. Gray) D. R. Morgan & R. L. Hartman: Sida 20: 1414. (2003) |
Web links |