Flora of North America species comparison

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Chaenactis thompsonii
Chaenactis thompsonii

Thompson's pincushion
Habit Perennials, 10–30 cm (not or scarcely cespitose, not matted); proximal indument thinning with age, grayish, arachnoid-sericeous to thinly lanuginose.
Stems

mostly 5–15+, ascending to erect.
Leaves

mostly cauline, 2–5 cm;

largest blades ± elliptic, ± plane, 1-pinnately lobed;

lobes mostly 2–5 pairs, remote, ± plane.
Peduncles

ascending to erect, 2–5 cm.
Involucres

± obconic.
Corollas

7–9 mm.
Phyllaries

longest (10–)12–15 mm;

outer closely lanuginose, not stipitate-glandular, apices erect, ± rigid.
Heads

mostly 1–3 per stem.
Cypselae

7–9 mm (eglandular);

pappi: longest scales 3.5–5 mm.

Chaenactis thompsonii
Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Rocky or gravelly serpentine slopes, scree, talus, openings in or above conifer forests
Elevation (900–)1200–2200 m ((3000–)3900–7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Chaenactis thompsonii appears to be sister to C. evermannii; it is known from the mountains of central and northwestern Washington. The similar habits of C. thompsonii and C. ramosa (= C. douglasii var. douglasii) appear to result from convergent evolution in the distinctive habitat of their type localities (Wenatchee Mountains), not from a close genetic relationship as suggested by Cronquist.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 407.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Chaenactidinae > Chaenactis > sect. Macrocarphus
Sibling taxa
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. xantiana
Name authority Cronquist: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacif. N.W. 5: 123, fig. [p. 125]. (1955)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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