Cirsium fontinale

(Greene) Jepson

Fl. W. Calif., 505. 1901.

Common names: Fountain thistle
EndemicConservation concern
Basionym: Cnicus fontinalis Greene Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2: 151. 1886
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 161. Mentioned on page 102.

Monocarpic perennials, 50–220 cm; woody taprooted caudices with numerous coarse, fibrous lateral roots, sometimes forming new rosettes from root sprouts. Stems 1–several, erect, loosely arachnoid-tomentose, glandular-pilose; branches several to many, spreading. Leaves: blades oblanceolate to oblong or elliptic, 20–70 × 5–16 cm, strongly undulate, shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes coarsely toothed or with triangular secondary lobes, main spines 3–15 mm, abaxial faces more densely tomentose, adaxial densely glandular with short, multicellular trichomes and ± tomentose with fine, arachnoid, non-septate trichomes; basal often present at flowering, petiolate; principal cauline well distributed, becoming sessile, gradually reduced distally, bases auriculate-decurrent with broad, spiny-margined wings 3 cm or less; distal cauline leaves progressively reduced, ± bractlike. Heads few–many, ± nodding, in paniculiform or corymbiform arrays, bracts leafy or much reduced. Peduncles 0–7 cm. Involucres (green to purple), hemispheric or campanulate, 1.5–3 × 2–5 cm, glabrous or puberulent. Phyllaries in 6–10 series, imbricate, ovate to lanceolate, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge; outer and mid-bases appressed, short, bodies entire to erose or ciliolate (rarely outer spine-margined), apices spreading to recurved or reflexed, long, dilated, adaxially puberulent, spines 1–6 mm; apices of inner erect or reflexed, flattened or tipped with short spines. Corollas white to pinkish or lavender, 14.5–22 mm, tubes 5–8 mm, throats 4.5–9 mm, lobes 3–8 mm; style tips 2.5–4.5 mm. Cypselae brownish, 3.4–5 mm, apical collars tan; pappi 12–15 mm.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Cypselae 4.1–5 mm; phyllary spines 1–2 mm Cirsium fontinale var. fontinale
1 Cypselae 3.4–4.1 mm; phyllary spines 2–6 mm > 2
2 Longer spines of cauline leaves 10–18 mm; most phyllaries without marginal spines Cirsium fontinale var. campylon
2 Longer spines of cauline leaves 4–7 mm; many outer phyllaries with marginal spines Cirsium fontinale var. obispoense

"ciliolate" is not a number."fine" is not a number."less" is not a number.

... more about "Cirsium fontinale"
short-tailed +
spineless +  and twisted +
dentate +, entire +  and spine-tipped +
spreading +  and recurved or reflexed +
innermost +
puberulent +
dilated +
scarious +
corymbiform +  and paniculiform +
indeterminate +  and determinate +
David J. Keil +
(Greene) Jepson +
auriculate-decurrent +
Cnicus fontinalis +
compound +  and simple +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (70 cm700 mm <br />0.7 m <br />) +
strongly undulate;shallowly deeply pinnatifid +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (16 cm160 mm <br />0.16 m <br />) +
entire;erose +
10-nerved or 20-nerved +  and rugose +
reduced +
several;many +
tawny +  and white +
Fountain thistle +
actinomorphic +
white +  and pinkish or lavender +
1.45 cm14.5 mm <br />0.0145 m <br /> (2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br />) +
compressed +  and ovoid +
fertile +  and bisexual +
c Calif. +
gray-canescent +  and glabrous +
pistillate +, staminate +  and neuter +
winged +  and beaked +
dispersed +
indeterminate +
each +  and sessile +
reflexed +  and erect +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
campanulate;hemispheric +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
sessile +  and petiolate +
cauline +  and basal +
bristle-tipped +
with triangular secondary lobes +  and toothed +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
entire +  and dentate +
usually lobed +  and dissected +
2-carpellate +
persistent +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
middle +  and outer +
weakly to strongly +
papillate +  and smooth +
Fl. W. Calif., +
bearing subulate enations +, hairy +  and bristly +
flat;convex +
glutinous +
tawny;white +
setiform +  and plumose +
exalbuminous +
subequal +
Endemic +  and Conservation concern +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
spiny-winged +, simple +  and branched +
glandular-pilose +  and arachnoid-tomentose +
1 +  and several +
appendaged +  and truncate +
dilated +  and swollen +
enlarged +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
Compositae +
Cirsium fontinale +
species +
cylindric +
expanded +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
bristly-dentate to coarsely +
non-septate +  and multicellular +
slender +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br /> (220 cm2,200 mm <br />2.2 m <br />) +
tree +, vine +, shrub +  and subshrub +
spiny-margined +