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desert baccharis, squaw false willow

silverling

Habit Shrubs, 50–200 cm (freely branched, broomlike). Shrubs, 100–300 cm (evergreen, loosely branched).
Stems

erect, fastigiate, striate-angular, green, glabrous, resinous.

erect to ascending, striate-angled, glabrous or minutely scurfy, not resinous.

Leaves

cauline (proximal withering and sparse by flowering);

sessile;

blades (1-nerved) broadly oblanceolate to obovate or spatulate, 10–35 × 5–15 mm (thick, firm), bases attenuate, margins entire or irregularly serrate (teeth 1–4, distal leaves entire), apices obtuse to acute, faces glabrous, gland-dotted, resinous.

present at flowering (not in fascicles);

petioles to 7 mm;

blades obovate or elliptic to rhombic, 20–60 × 8–40 mm, leathery, bases cuneate to attenuate, margins serrate (teeth 1–3 per side distal to middles, relatively broad), apices acute, faces glabrous, abaxial black gland-dotted (distal reduced, entire), adaxial eglandular.

Involucres

funnelform to campanulate;

staminate 3–5 mm, pistillate 3–5 mm.

campanulate to obconic;

staminate 4–5 mm, pistillate 5–6 mm.

Pistillate florets

15–30;

corollas 1.6–2.7 mm.

15–25;

corollas 3–4 mm.

Staminate florets

24–33;

corollas 2–3.5 mm.

20–30;

corollas 4–5 mm.

Phyllaries

ovate to linear-lanceolate, 1–5 mm, margins scarious, erose, medians green, apices rounded to acute, glabrous, gland-dotted, resinous.

ovate to lanceolate, 1–4 mm, margins scarious, medians green, apices rounded or obtuse (sometimes purplish).

Heads

(sessile or short-pedunculate on lateral branches) in crowded paniculiform arrays.

(1–4, sessile or subsessile) in axillary glomerules scattered along branches.

Cypselae

1–2 mm, prominently 10-nerved, glabrous;

pappi 1.7–3.1 mm.

1.5–2 mm, 8–10-nerved, glabrous;

pappi 8–9 mm.

2n

= 18.

Baccharis sergiloides

Baccharis glomeruliflora

Phenology Flowering Jul–Oct. Flowering Oct–Nov.
Habitat Gravelly or sandy streambeds, dry washes, grasslands Hammocks, moist woods, pine woods, swamps, swales, stream banks, ditches of inner dunes
Elevation 100–1800 m (300–5900 ft) 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Baccharis sergiloides is recognized by its fastigiate, broomlike habit, and large obovate leaves that often wither before flowering. It differs from B. sarothroides in its larger leaves, more or less sessile and lateral heads, and smaller florets and fruits.

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

Found primarily on the Coastal Plain, Baccharis glomeruliflora is recognized by the evergreen leathery leaves with broad teeth, and the small axillary glomerules of heads.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 33. FNA vol. 20, p. 27.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Baccharis Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Baccharis
Sibling taxa
B. angustifolia, B. bigelovii, B. brachyphylla, B. dioica, B. glomeruliflora, B. glutinosa, B. halimifolia, B. havardii, B. malibuensis, B. neglecta, B. pilularis, B. plummerae, B. pteronioides, B. salicifolia, B. salicina, B. sarothroides, B. texana, B. thesioides, B. vanessae, B. wrightii
B. angustifolia, B. bigelovii, B. brachyphylla, B. dioica, B. glutinosa, B. halimifolia, B. havardii, B. malibuensis, B. neglecta, B. pilularis, B. plummerae, B. pteronioides, B. salicifolia, B. salicina, B. sarothroides, B. sergiloides, B. texana, B. thesioides, B. vanessae, B. wrightii
Synonyms B. sessiliflora
Name authority A. Gray: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 83. (1859) Persoon: Syn. Pl. 2: 423. (1807)
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