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Key to families | Table of families and genera

This text currently parallels The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition that is now available at the University of California Press.

Text appearing in blue on this page will not appear in the printed book; it will be displayed only on the Web. Specimen numbers are hyperlinked to records in the Consortium of California Herbaria data view where possible. Taxa are hyperlinked to entries in the Jepson Interchange via the "[Online Interchange]" link.

 

EUCEPHALUS ASTER

Geraldine A. Allen


Perennial from woody caudex or short rhizome.
Stem: generally erect, 1–16 dm.
Leaf: cauline, alternate, proximal generally scale-like, main leaves generally entire.
Inflorescence: heads radiate or discoid, 1 or in cyme- or panicle-like clusters; involucre obconic to hemispheric; phyllaries ± equal or graduated in 3–6 series, free, ± keeled, margins papery, pale, sometimes ± red-tipped; receptacle ± flat, pitted, epaleate.
Ray flower: 0–13(21); corolla violet to pink or white.
Disk flower: many; corolla, anthers generally yellow, tube < throat; anther tip ± triangular; style branches flat on inner face, base ± warty, tip acute, hairy.
Fruit: generally ± flattened, ± 1–2-ribbed, ± brown, ± hairy; pappus of bristles, generally in 2 series (outer ± 1 mm, inner generally 5–10 mm), ± white to ± brown.
10 species: North America. (Greek: good head, describing involucre) [Allen 2006 FNANM 20:39–42]
Unabridged references: [Nesom 1994 Phytologia 77:141–297]

Key to Eucephalus

1. Ray flowers 5 or more (generally 5, 8, or 13)

2. Plant 5–15 dm; leaves 4–10 cm, green on faces, ± glabrous; ray white, ± becoming pink ..... E. engelmannii

2' Plant 2–8 dm; leaves <= 6(7) cm, abaxially pale green, ± tomentose, adaxially ± glabrous; ray violet to purple ..... E. ledophyllus var. covillei

1' Ray flowers generally 0–4

3. Ray flowers 0; phyllaries ± equal or unequal, linear to lance-oblong, acute to acuminate

4. Phyllaries ± equal; largest leaves 2–5 cm; pappus bristles in 1 series, all > 5 mm ..... E. breweri

4' Phyllaries unequal, outer << inner; largest leaves 5–9 cm; pappus bristles in 2 series, inner 5–10 mm, outer (at least a few) ± 1 mm ..... E. vialis

3' Ray flowers generally > 0 at least on some heads; phyllaries unequal, outer << inner, linear-oblong to ovate, acute

5. Lvs ± glabrous on faces ..... E. glabratus

5' Lvs ± glabrous adaxially, ± densely tomentose abaxially ..... E. tomentellus

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
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