Herrickia glauca

(Nuttall) Brouillet

Sida 21: 897. 2004.

Common names: Gray’s aster
Endemic
Basionym: Eucephalus glaucus Nuttall Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 299. 1840
Synonyms: Aster glaucus (Nuttall) Torrey & A. Gray Aster glaucodes S. F. Blake Eurybia glauca (Nuttall) G. L. Nesom
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 20. Treatment on page 363. Mentioned on page 362, 364.

Perennials, 20–70 cm, colonial and cespitose, ± glaucous, sometimes stipitate-glandular distally; rhizomes woody, elongate and creeping, or short, erect, branched. Stems 1–7+, erect, sometimes branched proximally, straight, glabrous proximally, sometimes thinly scabridulous distally. Leaves cauline; proximal reduced, withering by flowering, firm; sessile; blades oblong or elliptic-oblong to lanceolate (sometimes narrowly), 40–120 × 5–25 mm, bases ± clasping, sometimes cuneate, main veins ± marked, margins entire, indurate, sparsely to densely scabridulous, apices acute to obtuse, mucronate (margins recurved at apex), faces glabrous. Heads 2–116+ usually in corymbiform, sometimes in open, paniculiform arrays. Peduncles glabrous to sometimes thinly scabridulous or villosulous; bracts 0–2, foliaceous, margins villose-ciliate or glabrous. Involucres campanulate, 6–9 mm. Phyllaries (15–35) in 4–5 series, keeled or rounded, ovate or oblong (outer) to lanceolate (inner), unequal, membranous, bases indurate, green zones in distal 1/5–1/3 or less (outer), reduced to midnerve or none (inner), margins erose, narrowly scarious, hyaline, sometimes purplish distally (inner), entire to villoso-ciliolate, apices ± appressed, obtuse or acute (outer), often purple and acute or acuminate (inner), sometimes apiculate, faces glabrous. Ray florets (8–)10–15(–19); corollas pale lavender, 8–18 × 0.7–1.3 mm. Disc florets 12–32; corollas yellow turning reddish purple, barely or not ampliate, 6.8–7.5 mm, tubes narrowly cylindric, shorter than funnelform throats, lobes spreading, lanceolate, 0.7–1.3 mm. Cypselae tan to stramineous, fusiform, ± compressed, 3.8–4.8 mm, ribs 7–10 (stramineous), faces glabrous or sparsely strigillose; pappi of (ca. 37) yellowish to cinnamonish bristles 6.4–7.2 mm.

Distribution

V20-842-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., Colo., Idaho, Mont., N.Mex., Utah, Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Distal stems, peduncles, and phyllaries eglandular Herrickia glauca var. glauca
1 Distal stems, peduncles, and phyllaries stipitate-glandular Herrickia glauca var. pulchra