Flora of North America species comparison

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Psilocarphus elatior

Psilocarphus oregonus

meadow woollyheads, tall woolly-heads, tall woolly-marbles

Oregon woolly marbles, Oregon woolly-heads, Oregon woollyheads or woolly marbles, woolly marbles
Habit Plants greenish gray to silvery, ± sericeous. Plants silvery to whitish, densely sericeous to somewhat lanuginose.
Stems

1(–3), ± erect;

proximal internode lengths mostly 0.5–1.5(–2) times leaf lengths.

(1–)2–10, ascending to ± prostrate;

proximal internode lengths mostly 0.5–1.5(–2) times leaf lengths.
Receptacles

unlobed.

unlobed.
Heads

± spheric, largest 6–8 mm.

± spheric, largest 4–6 mm.
Cypselae

± cylindric, terete, 0.9–1.7 mm.

narrowly ± cylindric, terete, 0.6–1.2 mm.
Capitular

leaves ± erect, appressed to heads, mostly oblanceolate to nearly linear, widest in distal 1/3, longest mostly 17–35 mm, lengths mostly 4.5–9 times widths, 2.5–5 times head heights.

leaves ± erect, appressed to heads, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, widest in distal 2/3, longest 12–20 mm, lengths mostly 6–12 times widths, (3–)3.5–5 times head heights.
Pistillate

paleae collectively ± hidden by indument, longest 2.8–3.8 mm (lengths 1.5–3 times longest diams.; wings supramedian).

paleae individually visible through indument, longest mostly 1.5–2.7 mm.
Staminate

corollas 1.3–1.9 mm, lobes 5.

corollas 0.7–1.4 mm, lobes mostly 4.

Psilocarphus elatior

Psilocarphus oregonus
Phenology Flowering and fruiting mid May–mid Aug. Flowering and fruiting late Mar–mid Aug.
Habitat Mainly coastal or montane, relatively dry or seasonally flooded, wooded, grassy, or barren slopes, flats, often disturbed sites (roadsides, trails, drainages), rarely near vernal pools Seasonally inundated or flooded clay soils (vernal pool margins, drainages, moist rocky slopes)
Elevation 0–1700 m (0–5600 ft) 10–1800(–2400) m (0–5900(–7900) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Psilocarphus elatior occurs west of the Cascade Range from California to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and in scattered areas eastward (northwestern Montana, mountains surrounding the border area common to Oregon, Washington, and Idaho). Reports of P. elatior from Alberta and Saskatchewan were based on relatively erect forms of P. brevissimus var. brevissimus. Psilocarphus elatior has been of conservation concern in Canada (J. M. Illingworth and G. W. Douglas 1994).

Where sympatric, Psilocarphus elatior tends to inhabit relatively dry or seasonally flooded sites in more mesic coastal or montane climates and P. brevissimus var. brevissimus occurs mainly in wetter, seasonally inundated sites in semiarid climates. Some specimens appear to be intermediate; further study may show the two taxa to be better treated as varietally distinct. See also under P. brevissimus var. multiflorus.

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

Psilocarphus oregonus occurs from west-central California through most of Oregon to southeastern Washington, western Idaho, and northern Nevada. Relatively narrow-leaved, montane forms of P. tenellus account for reports of P. oregonus from the southern Sierra Nevada to Baja California; further study may show these to be intermediates between the two taxa.

A malformed plant collected in Merced County, California, appears to have been a sterile hybrid between P. oregonus and Hesperevax caulescens (J. D. Morefield 1992c).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 458. FNA vol. 19, p. 459.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Gnaphalieae > Psilocarphus Asteraceae > tribe Gnaphalieae > Psilocarphus
Sibling taxa
P. brevissimus, P. chilensis, P. oregonus, P. tenellus
P. brevissimus, P. chilensis, P. elatior, P. tenellus
Synonyms P. oregonus var. elatior
Name authority (A. Gray) A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. ed. 2, 1: 448. (1886) Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 341. (1840)
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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