Psilocarphus brevissimus var. brevissimus

Common names: Dwarf woollyheads
Illustrated
Synonyms: Psilocarphus globiferus Nuttall
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 458. Mentioned on page 457, 459, 460.

Plants lanuginose to sericeous. Stems (1–) 2–10, ascending to ± prostrate (sometimes erect). Capitular leaves: longest mostly 8–15 mm, lengths 1.5–4 times widths. Heads ± spheric, largest 6–9 mm, usually densely lanuginose. Receptacles unlobed or shallowly lobed. Pistillate paleae obovoid, lengths 1.5–3 times longest diams.; wings supramedian to subapical. 2n = 28.


Phenology: Flowering and fruiting mid Mar–mid Aug.
Habitat: Drying margins of seasonally inundated sites (vernal pools, ditches), sometimes alkaline
Elevation: 10–2500 m

Distribution

V19-760-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Sask., Calif., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo., Mexico (Baja California), South America (Argentina), South America (Chile)

Discussion

Variety brevissimus occupies nearly the full range of the genus (uncommon west of the Cascade Range); some occurrences toward the northeast appear to be recent introductions.

Plants named Psilocarphus globiferus are superficially somewhat intermediate between P. brevissimus and P. tenellus, as are populations from southern California mountains with leaves somewhat shorter, broader, and less hairy than typical P. brevissimus.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
truncate-penicillate;truncate +
scarious +
mostly ovate +  and lanceovate or linear +
racemiform +, paniculiform +  and corymbiform +
dichasiform +
indeterminate +  and determinate +
James D. Morefield +
Nuttall +
decurrent +
compound +  and simple +
linear;ovate or obovate +
muriculate +, papillate +  and smooth +
obovoid;more or less cylindric +
1-2.5(-3) times head heights +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
Dwarf woollyheads +
red-tipped +, purplish +, yellow +  and whitish +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
compressed +  and obovoid +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Sask. +, Calif. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +, Wyo. +, Mexico (Baja California) +, South America (Argentina) +  and South America (Chile) +
10–2500 m +
staminate +  and pistillate +
winged +  and beaked +
dispersed +
Drying margins of seasonally inundated sites (vernal pools, ditches), sometimes alkaline +
singly +  and aggregated +
indeterminate +
lanuginose +
homogamous +  and heterogamous +
spheric +
largest +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
each +  and sessile +
sessile +  and petiolate +
rarely lanceovate +  and lanceolate +
2-carpellate +
1.5-3 times longest diams +
visible +  and hidden +
obovoid +
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
persistent +
Flowering and fruiting mid Mar–mid Aug. +
subequal +  and unequal +
0.5-1.5(-2) times leaf lengths +
Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. +
paleate +  and epaleate +
lobed;unlobed +
exalbuminous +
Illustrated +
1 (?) +  and 2 (?) +
ascending +  and more or less prostrate +
2 +  and 10 +
appendaged +  and truncate +
papillate +
Psilocarphus globiferus +
Psilocarphus brevissimus var. brevissimus +
Psilocarphus brevissimus +
variety +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
lanuginose +  and sericeous +
supramedian +  and subapical +