Mirabilis alipes

(S. Watson) Pilz

Madroño 25: 120. 1978.

IllustratedEndemic
Basionym: Hermidium alipes S. Watson Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 286, plate 32. 1871
Synonyms: Hermidium alipes var. pallidium Ch. Porter
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 4. Treatment on page 44. Mentioned on page 40, 43.

Herbs, forming hemispheric clumps 6–8 dm diam., glabrous or very sparsely puberulent. Stems 2–4 dm. Leaves spreading; petioles of proximal leaves 0.5–0.7 cm; blades of midstem leaves ovate to widely ovate, 4.5–9 × 3.5–5 cm, base obtuse to rounded, often oblique, apex obtuse, rarely acute. Involucres: peduncle 3–10 mm; involucres erect to pendent, 11–30 mm; bracts 6–9, distinct or to 50% connate, apex acute to obtuse, rarely rounded. Flowers 6–9 per involucre; perianth usually magenta, occasionally creamy white, bell-shaped, 1.5–1.8 cm. Fruits mottled olive green, with 10 slender, tan ribs, ellipsoid, 5.5–7 mm, rugulose, glabrous, secreting thick, heavy mucilage when wetted.


Phenology: Flowering spring–late summer.
Habitat: Gravelly or sandy soils in arid brushlands or pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation: 1200-2000 m

Distribution

V4 80-distribution-map.gif

Calif., Colo., Nev., Utah.

Discussion

Hermidium was once maintained as a genus based on discrete involucral bracts. As discussed by G. E. Pilz (1978), distinct bracts are typical, but involucres with the five outermost bracts united to one-half their length are common.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"broader" is not a number."thin" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Mirabilis alipes"
rounded;acute;obtuse +
Richard W. Spellenberg +
(S. Watson) Pilz +
glutinous +
obtuse +  and rounded +
constricted +
woody +, leathery +  and fleshy +
Hermidium alipes +
undulate;plane;linear;ovate or more or less round +
persistent +
connate +, 0-50% +  and distinct +
corollalike +  and petaloid +
bracteate +  and naked +
hemispheric +
subsessile +  and sessile +
Calif. +, Colo. +, Nev. +  and Utah. +
1200-2000 m +
curved +  and straight +
inconspicuous +  and showy +
6 +  and 9 +
cleistogamous +, chasmogamous +  and bisexual +
green +  and mottled olive +
rugulose +
ellipsoid +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
Gravelly or sandy soils in arid brushlands or pinyon-juniper woodlands +
tubular +  and bell--shaped +
not accrescent +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
herbaceous;papery +
sessile +  and petiolate +
distributed +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
unequal +
5-lobed +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
sinuate +  and entire +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
creamy white;magenta +
chasmogamous +  and cleistogamous +
bell--shaped +
constricted +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
Flowering spring–late summer. +
inconspicuous +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
tuberculate +  and smooth +
globose +, ellipsoid +, obovoid +  and round +
slender +
coriaceous +
thick +  and thin +
cylindric +
membranaceous +
ribbed +, 10-ribbed +  and 5-ribbed +
pubescent +, glabrous +  and warty +
wrinkled +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
decumbent +, ascending +  and erect +
fusiform +  and linear +
filiform +
not +  and mucilaginous +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
rugulose +  and smooth +
Hermidium alipes var. pallidium +
ropelike +  and swollen +
Mirabilis alipes +
Mirabilis sect. Quamoclidion +
species +
gland-tipped +
expanded +
puberulent +  and glabrous +