Diaperia
Diaperia verna
dwarf cudweed, rabbit-tobacco
many-stem rabbit-tobacco, spring pygmycudweed, spring rabbit-tobacco
1, erect, or 2–10, ascending to ± prostrate.
mostly 2–10;
branches proximal and distal (distal subopposite), rarely none.
basal and cauline; alternate;
blades oblanceolate to obovate.
largest 7–13 × 2–4 mm;
capitular leaves subtending glomerules, also ± hidden between and surpassed by heads.
inconspicuous.
pulvinate to conic (heights 0.2–2.4 times diams.), glabrous.
pulvinate, 0.3–0.6 mm, heights ± 0.2–0.5 times diams.
13–35+.
0.
(2–)4–6, ± equal (similar to paleae).
borne singly or in glomerules of 2–40+ in ± dichasiform, pseudo-polytomous, spiciform, or racemiform arrays.
mostly distal, in subdichasiform arrays, campanulate to ± spheric, 2–3.3 mm, heights ± equal to diams.
light to dark brown, monomorphic: terete to obcompressed, ± obovoid, ± straight, not gibbous, faces glabrous, minutely papillate, dull or ± shiny;
corolla scars apical;
pappi 0.
rounded, ± terete, mostly 0.7–0.9 mm.
paleae readily falling (all or inner together, ± coherent distally by tangled indument) or outermost sometimes persistent, erect to ascending;
bodies with 5+ nerves (nerves ± parallel, obscure), oblanceolate to oblong, flat to concave most of lengths (not enclosing florets);
wings 0.
paleae scarcely imbricate, longest 1.9–2.7 mm.
or bisexual paleae readily falling (coherent with pistillate), (1–)3–5, erect to apically somewhat spreading or incurved (scarcely enlarged) in fruit, slightly surpassing pistillate paleae;
bodies ± spatulate (apices entire, sometimes involute and ± gibbous).
paleae mostly 3–5, apices somewhat spreading, ± plane.
staminate or bisexual florets 2–5;
corolla lobes mostly 4, equal or unequal.
staminate florets 3–5;
ovaries vestigial, 0–0.1 mm;
corollas hidden in heads, actinomorphic, 1.8–2.5 mm, often ± spreading-arachnoid, lobes equal.
= 7.
= 26.
Diaperia
Diaperia verna
Species 3 (3 in the flora).
See discussion of Filagininae following the tribal description (p. 385).
Diaperia occurs in open, moist or dry habitats of humid to semiarid, temperate to subtropical climates. Though apparently not aggressively invasive in their native range, the species are competitive in disturbed habitats (vacant lots, fallow fields, lawns, cemeteries, and roadsides). Diaperia verna var. verna, in particular, is widely regarded as a weed; the species are potentially invasive outside the flora.
Diaperia appears to be monophyletic, with ancestors near Evax sect. Filaginoides Smoljaninova of the Mediterranean basin and central Asia (particularly E. eriosphaera Boissier & Heldreich; J. D. Morefield 1992). It is separated from Evax by stems well-developed, leafy, usually branched, paleae falling together (coherent distally by tangled indument), and staminate paleae somewhat enlarged, apices obtuse, ± herbaceous, uniformly hairy (Morefield 2004). Species of Diaperia are sharply distinct by size, shape, and arrangement of branches, glomerules, heads, and capitular leaves.
Diaperia candida is aberrant by its inner florets bisexual, bisexual paleae distally gibbous, and reported chromosome complement of 2n = 14 (D. J. Keil and D. J. Pinkava 1976). These traits might eventually justify resurrection of the monotypic Calymmandra Torrey & A. Gray, after further study and confirmation of the chromosome number. While 2n = 14 is common elsewhere in Gnaphalieae, all other 25 counted species of Filagininae have 2n = 28 (species of Evax, Filago, Logfia, Micropus, Psilocarphus, and Stylocline) or 2n = 26 (Diaperia and Evax). The implication that D. candida retains an ancestral diploid condition has no phylogenetic support (J. D. Morefield 1992).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
The two varieties of Diaperia verna intergrade within a broad band inland from the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Texas. Though some specimens are difficult to assign with confidence, the varieties show enough correlated geographic and ecologic segregation to warrant taxonomic recognition.
As neotypified by J. D. Morefield (2004), the name Evax verna now applies to the taxon that de Candolle named E. multicaulis.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Heads in racemiform or spiciform arrays, 1.5–2 mm; branches proximal or none; longest pistillate paleae 0.9–1.3 mm; bisexual florets 3–5 (corollas 0.5–0.9 mm, protruding from heads); functionally staminate florets usually 0 | D. candida |
1. Heads in ± dichasiform or pseudo-polytomous arrays, 2–4.5 mm; branches proximal and distal, rarely none; longest pistillate paleae 1.9–4 mm; bisexual florets 0; functionally staminate florets 2–5 (corollas 1.4–2.5 mm, hidden in heads) | → 2 |
2. Heads in subdichasiform arrays, ± campanulate to spheric, 2–3.3 mm, heights ± equal to diams.; capitular leaves ± hidden between and surpassed by heads; pistillate paleae scarcely imbricate; cypselae mostly 0.7–0.9 mm | D. verna |
2. Heads in strictly dichasiform or pseudo-polytomous arrays (sometimes appearing monochasiform), ellipsoid to ± cylindric, 3.5–4.5 mm, heights 2–3 times diams.; capitular leaves visible between and surpassing heads; pistillate paleae imbricate; cypselae mostly 0.9–1.2 mm | D. prolifera |
1. Pistillate paleae collectively hidden by thick lanuginose indument; heads ± campanulate, larg- est mostly 2–2.5 mm | var. verna |
1. Pistillate paleae individually visible through thin sericeous indument; heads ± spheric, largest mostly 2.5–3.3 mm | var. drummondii |
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
LA Plants
