Argythamnia argyraea

Cory

Madroño 8: 92. 1945.

Common names: Silky silverbush silvery wild-mercury
EndemicConservation concern
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 175. Mentioned on page 173, 174.

Herbs, perennial, dioecious, rarely monoecious, to 3.5 dm. Stems erect, densely hairy, hairs silvery, malpighiaceous. Leaves: stipules deciduous, oblanceolate or obovate to ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm, margins not glandular; petiole 1–3 mm; blade elliptic to ovate, 0.9–4 × 0.4–0.8 cm, margins entire, without glands, surfaces densely hairy, hairs silvery, malpighiaceous. Inflorescences unisexual, pistillate 0.5–1 cm, flowers solitary, staminate 1–2 cm; bracts ovate to elliptic, 0.4–0.5 mm, margins without glands. Flowers usually releasing pink dye when wetted. Staminate flowers: sepals linear to lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.3–2 mm; petals linear-lanceolate, 3–5 × 0.5–0.6 mm, free from androphore; nectary glands ovate, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1 mm, free from androphore, glabrous; stamens 10, staminodes 5, punctiform, glabrous. Pistillate flowers: sepals elliptic, 3–4.3 × 0.8–2 mm, without glands; petals 5, lanceolate to linear, 1.5–2 × 0.3–0.5 mm; nectary glands oblong to linear, 0.8 × 0.5 mm, glabrous; ovary hispidulous; styles 1–1.7 mm, pilose; stigmas flattened. Capsules 4–5 mm, hairs adpressed, short, silvery. Seeds 2.3–2.5 mm, finely papillate.


Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat: Shortgrass grasslands or open shrublands on whitish, clay soils.
Elevation: 100–400 m.

Discussion

There are very few collections of Argythamnia argyraea, which is endemic to south Texas in Kinney, La Salle, and Maverick counties. Plants of Argythamnia argyraea are usually dioecious, but William Mahler found that larger plants are occasionally monoecious (J. Poole, pers. comm.).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Argythamnia argyraea"
Yocupitzia Ramírez-Amezcua +
Silky silverbush +  and silvery wild-mercury +
100–400 m. +
Shortgrass grasslands or open shrublands on whitish, clay soils. +
Flowering Apr–Jul. +
Endemic +  and Conservation concern +
Aphora +, Ditaxis +  and Serophyton +
Argythamnia argyraea +
Argythamnia +
species +