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smooth Townsend daisy

common Townsend daisy, common townsendia, slender townsendia

Habit Biennials or perennials, 10–35(–75+) cm (usually rhizomatous and/or stoloniferous). Perennials, 1–3 cm (± pulvinate).
Stems

erect;

internodes (5–)10–15(–35) mm, strigillose.

± erect;

internodes 0.1–1 mm, strigose.

Leaves

basal and cauline, blades spatulate to oblanceolate or lance-linear, 15–45(–75+) × 2–10(–20) mm, not fleshy (margins strigoso-ciliolate), glabrous or glabrate.

basal and cauline, blades spatulate to narrowly obovate, (8–)12–25(–40+) × 1–2(–3+) mm, ± fleshy, faces ± strigose to strigillose or glabrate.

Involucres

± hemispheric or broader, 12–18+ mm diam.

± campanulate, 8–12(–20+) mm diam.

Ray florets

20–34+;

corollas usually white or pinkish adaxially (abaxially blue to lavender), laminae 10–15(–25+) mm, glabrous abaxially.

13–34+;

corollas usually white or pinkish, seldom blue, adaxially, laminae 5–7(–12+) mm, abaxially usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely glandular-puberulent.

Disc florets

80–150+;

corollas 4 mm.

40–80+;

corollas 4–6+ mm.

Phyllaries

30–45 in 4–6+ series, the longer obovate to lance-ovate or lanceolate, 10–12(–14) mm (l/w = 3–5), apices obtuse to acute (some or all hard, ± apiculate), abaxial faces sparsely strigillose or glabrous.

40–50+ in 4–5+ series, the longer ± lanceolate, 7–9(–12) mm (l/w = 2.5–5), apices acute to attenuate, abaxial faces sparsely strigose or glabrous.

Heads

at tips of stems (seldom surpassed by leaves).

usually ± sessile, rarely on scapiform peduncles 5–15+ mm.

Cypselae

3–4(–5) mm, faces glabrous or ± stipitate-glandular, hair tips not forked or glochidiform;

pappi persistent, each a bidentate corona 0.1–0.4(–0.8) mm.

3+ mm, faces glabrous or sparsely hairy (hairs mostly at bases), hair tips glochidiform;

pappi persistent;

on ray cypselae ca. 25 lanceolate or subulate to setiform scales 0–1 or 5–8 mm;

on disc cypselae ca. 30 subulate to setiform scales 5–8 mm.

2n

= 18.

= 18.

Townsendia formosa

Townsendia leptotes

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug(–Sep). Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Meadows, yellow-pine forests Rocky ridges, sandy slopes
Elevation 2400–2600 m (7900–8500 ft) (2300–)2900–3800 m ((7500–)9500–12500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 20, p. 197. FNA vol. 20, p. 203.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Townsendia Asteraceae > tribe Astereae > Townsendia
Sibling taxa
T. annua, T. aprica, T. condensata, T. eximia, T. exscapa, T. fendleri, T. florifera, T. glabella, T. grandiflora, T. gypsophila, T. hookeri, T. incana, T. jonesii, T. leptotes, T. mensana, T. microcephala, T. minima, T. montana, T. parryi, T. rothrockii, T. scapigera, T. smithii, T. spathulata, T. strigosa, T. texensis
T. annua, T. aprica, T. condensata, T. eximia, T. exscapa, T. fendleri, T. florifera, T. formosa, T. glabella, T. grandiflora, T. gypsophila, T. hookeri, T. incana, T. jonesii, T. mensana, T. microcephala, T. minima, T. montana, T. parryi, T. rothrockii, T. scapigera, T. smithii, T. spathulata, T. strigosa, T. texensis
Synonyms T. sericea var. leptotes
Name authority Greene: Leafl. Bot. Observ. Crit. 1: 213. (1906) (A. Gray) Osterhout: Muhlenbergia 4: 69. (1908)
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