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  • Up-to-date information about California vascular plants is available from the Jepson eFlora.

ASTERACEAE

SUNFLOWER FAMILY

David J. Keil, Family Editor and author, except as specified

Annual to tree
Leaves basal or cauline, alternate to whorled, simple to compound
Inflorescence: 1° inflorescence a head, each resembling a flower, 1–many, generally arrayed in cymes, generally subtended by ± calyx-like involucre; flowers 1–many per head
Flowers bisexual, unisexual, or sterile, ± small, of several types; calyx 0 or modified into pappus of bristles, scales, or awns, which is generally persistent in fruit; corolla radial or bilateral (rarely 0), lobes generally (0)4–5; stamens 4–5, anthers generally fused into cylinder around style, often appendaged at tips, bases, or both, filaments generally free, generally attached to corolla near throat; pistil 1, ovary inferior, 1-chambered, 1-seeded, style 1, branches 2, generally hair-tufted at tip, stigmas 2, generally on inside of style branches
Fruit: achene, cylindric to ovoid, generally deciduous with pappus attached
Genera in family: ± 1300 genera, 21,000 species (largest family of dicots): worldwide. Largest family in CA. Also see tribal key to CA genera: Strother 1997 Madroño 44(1):1–28. See glossary p. 25 for illustrations of general family characteristics.

SPHAEROMERIA

Elizabeth McClintock

Perennial, subshrub, often from long, thick caudex, silky; hairs basally forked, attached off-center; herbage dotted with resin glands
Leaves alternate, often crowded at base; simple and entire or 3-lobed to 1–3-pinnately dissected
Inflorescence: heads disciform, few–many; involucre hemispheric; phyllaries in 2–3 overlapping series, scarious-margined and -tipped; receptacle hemispheric, naked or hairy
Pistillate flowers few, marginal; corolla cylindric to lance-ovoid
Disk flowers more numerous; corolla tubular to bell-shaped; anther tips ovate, bases rounded or ± cordate; style branches truncate, tips shrub-like
Fruit cylindric, generally 5–10-ribbed; pappus generally 0 or a narrow crown
Species in genus: 9 species: w. North America
Etymology: (Greek: spherical division)
Reference: [Holmgren et al. 1976 Brittonia 28:255–272]
Segregated from Tanacetum.

Native

S. potentilloides (A. Gray) A. Heller

Perennial from elongate, thick woody caudex
Stems 4–30 cm, branched from base
Leaves < 10 cm, 1–3-pinnately divided; basal and lower cauline petioled, upper sessile
Inflorescence: heads generally 3–5, in open clusters (rarely solitary); receptacle hairy
Fruit < 2 mm, 5-ribbed, swelling when wet; pappus 0
Ecology: Mtn meadows, hot springs, alkaline areas
Elevation: 1800–2400 m.
Bioregional distribution: n&c High Sierra Nevada, Great Basin Floristic Province
Distribution outside California: to Oregon, Idaho, Nevada
Synonyms: Tanacetum p. A Gray

Native

var. nitrophila (Cronquist) A.H. Holmgren, L. Schultz & T. Lowrey


Stems 4–15 cm, generally leafless
Leaves: basal generally 1-pinnately divided
Inflorescence: heads generally < 4 in an open cluster
Chromosomes: 2n=18
Ecology: Uncommon. Generally alkaline areas
Elevation: 2100–2400 m.
Bioregional distribution: c High Sierra Nevada, East of Sierra Nevada
Distribution outside California: to Idaho, Nevada
Horticultural information: IRR, SUN, DRN: 1, 2, 3, 7, 15, 16; DFCLT.

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bioregional map for SPHAEROMERIA%20potentilloides%20var.%20nitrophila being generated
 
N.B. The distribution depicted here differs from that given in The Jepson Manual (1993)

Retrieve Jepson Interchange Index to Plant Names entry for Sphaeromeria potentilloides var. nitrophila
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