Lepidospartum

(A. Gray) A. Gray

Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 50. 1883.

Etymology: Greek lepidos, scale, and sparton, Spanish broom (the plant)
Basionym: Tetradymia sect. Lepidosparton A. Gray Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 9: 207. 1874
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 20. Treatment on page 632. Mentioned on page 540, 542.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA20 P70 Lepidospartum latisquamum.jpegLepidospartum latisquamum
Yermo xanthocephalus
Tussilago farfara
Linny Heagy
Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey
Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey

Shrubs (treelets), 20–250 cm (juvenile stems and foliage tomentose, later stems and leaves glabrous or pannose to tomentose, sometimes glabrescent). Stems 1–5+, erect (much branched). Leaves cauline; alternate; petiolate or sessile; blades palmately (sometimes obscurely) nerved; the juvenile obovate to spatulate, on flowering-stems filiform to acerose or scalelike, margins entire, faces glabrous or tomentose to glabrescent. Heads discoid, in ± paniculiform arrays (or clusters of 3–5). Calyculi 0 (or bractlets intergrading with phyllaries). Involucres obconic to cylindric, 4–8 mm diam. Phyllaries persistent, 8–13 or 12–23+ in 2–4+ series, erect, distinct, mostly ovate to lanceolate, unequal (outer shorter), margins sometimes scarious. Receptacles flat, smooth or foveolate (glabrous or arachnose), epaleate. Ray-florets 0. Disc-florets 3–17+, bisexual, fertile; corollas pale to bright-yellow, tubes longer than campanulate to funnelform throats, lobes 5, recurved, lance-linear; style-branches: stigmatic areas ± continuous, apices rounded-truncate. Cypselae ± fusiform, 5–15-nerved, glabrous or ± pilose; pappi persistent, of ca. 150, white or tawny, barbellulate bristles (in 3–4 series). x = 30.

Distribution

sw United States, nw Mexico

Discussion

Species 3 (3 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaf blades (flowering stems) scale-like, 2–3 mm; florets 9–17; cypselae glabrous Lepidospartum squamatum
1 Leaf blades (flowering stems) filiform to acerose, 3–40 mm; florets 3–6; cypselae densely hairy > 2
2 Flowering stems tomentose with glabrous striae subtending leaves, interruptingtomentum; cypselae 5–6.5 mm Lepidospartum latisquamum
2 Flowering stems evenly pannose, not striate, dotted with glandular blisters; cypselae ca. 4 mm Lepidospartum burgessii
... more about "Lepidospartum"
not tailed +, rounded +  and obtuse +
papillate +
rounded-truncate +
scarious +
usually ovate +  and lance-linear +
paniculiform +
indeterminate +  and determinate +
John L. Strother +
(A. Gray) A. Gray +
decurrent +
Tetradymia sect. Lepidosparton +
juvenile +
winged;nerved;ribbed +
tawny +  and white +
pale +  and bright-yellow +
pilose +  and glabrous +
fertile +  and bisexual +
fertile +  and bisexual +
sw United States +  and nw Mexico +
Greek lepidos, scale, and sparton, Spanish broom (the plant) +
tomentose +  and glabrescent +
pistillate +, staminate +  and neuter +
filiform;acerose or scalelike +
winged +  and beaked +
dispersed +
campanulate +
indeterminate +
heterogamous +  and homogamous +
each +  and sessile +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
obconic;cylindric +
sessile +  and petiolate +
lanceolate +  and lance-linear +
2-carpellate +
persistent +
mostly ovate +  and lanceolate +
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts +
styliferous +, neuter +  and pistillate +
sterile +  and fertile +
bearing subulate enations +, hairy +  and bristly +
foveolate +  and smooth +
conic;usually flat;convex +
exalbuminous +
1 +  and 5 +
appendaged +  and truncate +
papillate +
Compositae +
Lepidospartum +
Asteraceae tribe Senecioneae +
campanulate +
perennial +  and annual +