Compilation
Loeflingia squarrosa

23 Images see all

Previous
Next

Name

Identification
Loeflingia squarrosa Nutt. [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE ] (stored under name);
Related name
  • Loeflingia squarrosa
  • Loeflingia pusilla
  • Achrium squarrosum
  • Loeflingia texana

Flora

Entry for Loeflingia squarrosa Nuttall [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Herbarium
Flora of North America (FNA)
Collection
Flora of North America
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of North America, Vol 5,
Names
Loeflingia squarrosa Nuttall [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE], in J. Torrey and A. Gray,Fl. N. Amer., 1: 174. 1838
Loeflingia pusilla Curran [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Loeflingia squarrosa subsp. artemisiarum Barneby & Twisselmann [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Loeflingia squarrosa var. artemisiarum (Barneby & Twisselmann) Dorn [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Loeflingia squarrosa subsp. cactorum Barneby & Twisselmann [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Loeflingia squarrosa subsp. texana (Hooker) Barneby & Twisselmann [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Loeflingia texana Hooker [family CARYOPHYLLACEAE]
Treatment Author(s)
Ronald L. Hartman
Richard K. Rabeler
Information
Plants 1–12 cm, covered with stalked glands, somewhat fleshy. Stems stiff, usually dichotomously branched at or near base, variously branched or not distally. Leaves usually connate proximally into short, scarious sheath; stipules filamentous to spinose, 0.4–1.5 mm; blade erect to ± recurved, 0.4–5.5 mm, apex blunt to spine-tipped. Inflorescences often secund. Flowers cleistogamous; sepals erect to squarrose, resembling leaves (especially outer pair), usually with 2 filamentous to stiff lateral spurs, 1.8–6.5 mm, becoming hardened, margins often scarious. Capsules 3-angled, 1.5–3.7 mm, 1/2–4/5 times as long as sepals. Seeds 0.4–0.7 mm.
Phenology
mar-may (spring), jun-aug (summer)
Altitude range
0–2100 m;
Distribution
Mexico (Sonora).USA Ariz.USA Ark.USA Calif.USA Kans.USA Nebr.USA Nev.USA Okla.USA Oreg.USA Tex.USA UtahUSA Wash.USA Wyo.
Discussion
R. C. Barneby and E. C. Twisselmann (1970) recognized four subspecies of Loeflingia squarrosa, for the most part allopatric. After a reevaluation of the characters used in their key, we feel that those entities are best regarded as geographical races of the species. This is justified largely by both the overlap in expressions of and the lack of correlation of the characters. Barneby and Twisselmann placed major emphasis on habit and stature, including the position of the primary dichotomy of the plant and the location of intermediate monochasial branching subsequent to last branching, if present. In their words, “We have developed an objective formula for describing the permutations of branching, but believe that the intangible quality of habit permits intuitive sorting of material into categories that coincide with comprehensive dispersal patterns.” They used, in addition to habit, the size and stiffness of stipules and sepal spurs, size of sepals and their orientation, size and shape of capsules, and size of seeds to discriminate between subspecies.

Related Materials