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artemisia leaf chaenactis, white pincushion

fleshcolor pincushion, fleshy pincushion, Xantus pincushion, Xantus' chaenactis

Habit Plants (15–)25–90(–200) cm. Plants 10–40 cm; proximal indument grayish, sparsely arachnoid, early glabrescent (usually glabrous by flowering).
Stems

mostly 1–5(–12);

branches proximal and/or distal.

Leaves

basal (withering) and cauline, 3–15(–20) cm;

largest blades ± plane, not succulent;

primary lobes mostly 5–10 pairs, ultimate lobes ± crowded, antrorse, lanceolate to elliptic, plane.

basal (withering) and cauline, (1–)2–6 cm;

largest blades linear or ± elliptic, ± plane or terete, ± succulent, 0–1-pinnately lobed;

lobes 1–2(–5) pairs, remote, ± terete.

Peduncles

1.5–6 cm.

1–5(–8) cm, glabrous (and ± expanded) distally.

Involucres

± hemispheric, mostly 10–15 mm diam.

broadly obconic to campanulate.

Receptacles

paleae 0.

Florets

corollas (diurnal) dirty-whitish to pinkish, 6–10 mm (± equal to cypsela lengths, anthers exserted);

peripheral corollas erect to ascending, actinomorphic, scarcely enlarged.

Corollas

5–7 mm.

Phyllaries

longest 7–10(–12) mm, ± densely villous, not or sparsely glandular;

apices (all) erect, ± green, acute or scarcely acuminate, not aristate, ± plane.

longest 10–18 mm (surpassed by florets);

outer distally tomentulose-puberulent in fruit (proximally glabrous, not stipitate-glandular), apices ± squarrose, blunt, pliant.

Heads

mostly 1–5(–7) per stem.

Cypselae

compressed, 4–7 mm;

pappi 0 or coroniform (of ± 10 scales, longest 0.1–0.5 mm).

5–9 mm;

pappi of 8 scales in 2, abruptly unequal series, longest scales 5–9 mm.

2n

= 16.

= 14.

Chaenactis artemisiifolia

Chaenactis xantiana

Phenology Flowering Apr–early Jul. Flowering late Mar–Jul.
Habitat Dry canyons, open slopes, often over granitoid rocks, locally abundant in chaparral burns or other recovering disturbances Open, deep, loose sandy (rarely gravelly) soils, arid and semiarid shrublands, chaparral
Elevation 80–1600 m (300–5200 ft) (100–)300–2500 m ((300–)1000–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; OR
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the flora area, Chaenactis artemisiifolia is known from the Transverse and Peninsular ranges and seaward valleys of southwestern California. It is fire-adapted; its germination is significantly enhanced by exposure to biomass smoke (J. E. Keeley and C. J. Fotheringham 1998).

Chaenactis lacera Greene, the eighteenth species of the genus, is known from coastal portions (including islands) of the western Vizcaíno Desert in Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico. Forms of C. artemisiifolia sometimes resemble C. lacera in coastal southern California (P. Stockwell 1940), where C. lacera could eventually be introduced. Besides the key characteristics above, C. lacera differs from C. artemisiifolia by its largest leaf blades broadly ± elliptic, 2–3-pinnately lobed, ultimate lobes remote, recurved to retrorse, ± linear, involute (leaf blades appearing ± skeletal).

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

Source FNA vol. 21, p. 402. FNA vol. 21, p. 410.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Acarphaea Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Chaenactis
Sibling taxa
C. alpigena, C. carphoclinia, C. cusickii, C. douglasii, C. evermannii, C. fremontii, C. glabriuscula, C. macrantha, C. nevadensis, C. nevii, C. parishii, C. santolinoides, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. thompsonii, C. xantiana
C. alpigena, C. artemisiifolia, C. carphoclinia, C. cusickii, C. douglasii, C. evermannii, C. fremontii, C. glabriuscula, C. macrantha, C. nevadensis, C. nevii, C. parishii, C. santolinoides, C. stevioides, C. suffrutescens, C. thompsonii
Synonyms Acarphaea artemisiifolia
Name authority (Harvey & A. Gray) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 74. (1874) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 6: 545. (1865)
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