Saussurea americana

D. C. Eaton

Bot. Gaz. 6: 283. 1881.

Common names: American saw-wort
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 166. Mentioned on page 165.

Plants 30–120+ cm; rootstocks short, stout; herbage loosely tomentose when young, glabrescent, sometimes ± glandular. Stems 1–many, leafy, simple or with ascending branches. Leaves cauline, usually more than 20, well distributed, proximal and mid with winged petioles to 6 cm, wings sometimes decurrent 1–2 cm on stems, blades lanceolate to triangular-ovate, 5–15 cm, bases cordate to truncate or tapering, margins sharply dentate, apices acute; mid and distal usually sessile, smaller, narrower, bases tapering. Heads 5–30+ in tight to open corymbiform arrays; (peduncles 0–5 cm). Involucres 10–15 mm. Phyllaries in ca. 5 series, strongly unequal, outer ± ovate, inner lanceolate, abaxial faces pale green, distally dark purplish to nearly black, loosely tomentose. Receptacles naked. Florets 8–21; corollas usually pale lavender-blue to dark purple (rarely white), 11–13 mm; tubes 5–6.5 mm, throats 1.5–2 mm, lobes 3.5–4 mm. Cypselae 4–6 mm; pappus bristles brownish, outer 3–7 mm, inner 9–10 mm.


Phenology: Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat: Moist canyons, meadows, streamsides in montane forests
Elevation: 1000–2600 m

Distribution

V19-173-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Yukon, Alaska, Calif., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Wash.

Discussion

Saussurea americana is closely related to an Asian species, S. foliosa Ledebour.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"fine" is not a number.

... more about "Saussurea americana"
distally dark purplish +  and nearly black +
short-tailed +
not +  and appendaged +
entire +  and not spine-tipped +
glandular +  and glabrous +
scarious +
corymbiform +  and open +
indeterminate +  and determinate +
David J. Keil +
D. C. Eaton +
tapering +, cordate +  and truncate or tapering +
Asteraceae tribe Cynareae +
compound +  and simple +
dentate to pinnately lobed +  and entire +
lanceolate;triangular-ovate +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
10-nerved or 20-nerved +  and rugose +
American saw-wort +
actinomorphic +
usually pale lavender-blue +  and dark purple +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
4-5-angled +, cylindric +, angled +  and oblong +
fertile +  and bisexual +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Calif. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Oreg. +  and Wash. +
1000–2600 m +
eglandular +  and glandular +
glabrous +  and densely tomentose +
pistillate +, staminate +  and neuter +
winged +  and beaked +
dispersed +
Moist canyons, meadows, streamsides in montane forests +
in corymbiform arrays +  and singly +
indeterminate +
glabrescent +  and tomentose +
each +  and sessile +
ovoid;campanulate or more or less turbinate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
petiolate +  and sessile +
distributed +
mid +, proximal +  and cauline +
deltate +, usually narrowly triangular +  and more or less linear +
lobed +, toothed +  and entire +
2-carpellate +
inner +  and outer +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
persistent +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
Flowering Jul–Aug. +
papillate +  and smooth +
distinct +  and fused +
short-papillate +
oblong;linear +
convex;flat +
roughened +  and smooth +
exalbuminous +
subequal;strongly unequal +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
with ascending branches +, simple +  and leafy +
ascending +  and erect +
1 +  and many +
appendaged +  and truncate +
dilated +  and swollen +
enlarged +
Compositae +
Saussurea americana +
Saussurea +
species +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
expanded +  and slender +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.65 cm6.5 mm <br />0.0065 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (120 cm1,200 mm <br />1.2 m <br />) +
decurrent +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
19 +, 18 +, 17 +, 16 +, 14 +  and 13 +