Encelia nutans
Encelia
nodding sunray, noddinghead
brittlebush
± subterranean (except peduncles).
erect, usually branched from bases, often throughout (scapiform in E. nutans and E. scaposa).
basal;
petioles 20–35 mm;
blades green, broadly ovate, 30–40 mm, faces glabrous or substrigose (sometimes rugose).
usually cauline, sometimes basal (E. nutans and E. scaposa); alternate (usually drought-deciduous);
petiolate (obscurely in E. scaposa);
blades (1- or 3-nerved) mostly deltate, lanceolate, rhombic, or ovate (narrowly oblanceolate to linear in E. scaposa), bases broadly to narrowly cuneate, margins usually entire, rarely toothed, face glabrous or canescent, hirtellous, scabrellous, strigose, or tomentose, often gland-dotted as well.
hairy.
12–22 mm.
± hemispheric or broader, 4–22 mm diam.
flat or convex, paleate (paleae ± conduplicate, folded around and falling with cypselae).
0.
0 or 8–25(–40), neuter;
corollas yellow.
yellow, 6–8 mm.
80–100(–200+), bisexual, fertile;
corollas yellow or brown-purple, tubes shorter than to equaling abruptly expanded throats, lobes 5, triangular.
lanceolate.
persistent, 18–30(–50+) in 2–3+ series (subequal to unequal, outer shorter).
borne singly (nodding in fruit).
radiate or discoid, borne singly or in ± paniculiform arrays (peduncles usually longer than involucres).
7–12 mm;
pappi usually 0, rarely of 2 bristlelike awns.
strongly compressed, obovate to cuneate (margins ciliate, apices usually ± notched except in E. scaposa, faces usually glabrous except in E. scaposa);
pappi usually 0, sometimes readily falling or persistent, of 2 bristlelike awns.
= 18.
= 36.
Encelia nutans
Encelia
Encelia nutans shares the apically notched and glabrous-faced cypselae of the genus, but its geophyte habit, especially the ephemeral nature of its aboveground parts, is unique in either Encelia or Enceliopsis.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species 13 or 14 (8 in the flora).
Encelias commonly hybridize, especially in disturbed areas: Encelia farinosa × E. frutescens is common; E. farinosa × E. californica, E. farinosa × E. actoni, E. actoni × E. frutescens, E. frutescens × E. virginensis, and E. farinosa × Geraea canescens have been reported.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Perennials; leaves all or mostly basal | → 2 |
1. Subshrubs or shrubs; leaves cauline | → 3 |
2. Ray florets 20–40 | E. scaposa |
2. Ray florets 0 (heads nodding in fruit) | E. nutans |
3. Ray florets 0 | E. frutescens |
3. Ray florets 8–25 | → 4 |
4. Heads in paniculiform arrays; leaves tomentose to strigose | → 5 |
4. Heads borne singly; leaves glabrous or canescent, scabrous, and/or strigose (not tomentose) | → 6 |
5. Leaves tomentose (branching among heads mainly distal; ray florets 11–21, corolla laminae 8–12 mm) | E. farinosa |
5. Leaves tomentose to strigose (branching among heads mainly proximal; ray florets fewer and smaller) | frutescens (see 8 Encelia farinosa) |
6. Leaves glabrous or glabrate; disc corollas brown (ray laminae lengths 1.5–2 times disc diams.) | E. californica |
6. Leaves scabrous, strigose, and/or canescent; disc corollas yellow (ray laminae lengths 1–1.2 times disc diams.) | → 7 |
7. Leaves scabrous to strigose (not canescent) | E. resinifera |
7. Leaves canescent, sometimes strigose as well | → 8 |
8. Leaves sparsely canescent and strigose; rays 11–21, laminae 8–15 mm (relatively deeply toothed) | E. virginensis |
8. Leaves ± silvery-canescent (not strigose); rays 14–25, laminae 10–25 mm (relatively shallowly toothed) | E. actoni |
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CA
