Arnica cordifolia

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Arnica cordifolia
Arnica cordifolia 4631.JPG
Wenatchee Mountains, Washington
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Arnica
Species:
A. cordifolia
Binomial name
Arnica cordifolia
Synonyms
Synonymy
  • Arnica abortivaGreene
  • Arnica andersoniiPiper
  • Arnica austinaeRydb.
  • Arnica chionophilaGreene
  • Arnica evermanniiGreene
  • Arnica hardinaeH.St.John
  • Arnica humilisRydb.
  • Arnica macrophyllaNutt.
  • Arnica microphyllaWalp.
  • Arnica paniculataA.Nelson
  • Arnica parvifloraGreene 1901 not A.Gray 1868 [1]
  • Arnica pumilaRydb.
  • Arnica subcordataGreene
  • Arnica whitneyiFernald

Arnica cordifolia is a species of arnica in the sunflower family, known by the common name heartleaf arnica. [2] It is native to western North America.

Contents

Description

This is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing one or more erect stems reaching a maximum height of about 60 centimetres (2 feet). [3] It has two to four pairs of leaves on the stem, each on a long petiole. The leaves are heart-shaped to arrowhead-shaped and finely toothed along the edges. The inflorescence bears one or more daisylike flower heads 5–9 cm (2–3+1⁄2 inches) in width, [3] lined with white-haired phyllaries and sometimes studded with resin glands. The center of each head contains golden yellow disc florets and a fringe of 10–15 bright golden ray florets approaching 3 cm (1+1⁄4 in) in maximum length. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] The flowers usually bloom from April to June, but sometimes do so as late as September. [3]

The fruit is a hairy achene up to 1 cm (1⁄2 in) long, not counting its off-white pappus. Seeds are dispersed on the wind. An individual plant can live 12 years, surviving periodic wildfire by resprouting from its long, slender rhizome afterward. [7] [8]

The species could be confused with the similar Arnica latifolia , from which it can be distinguished by the leaves. The leaves of A. cordifolia are larger and heart-shaped. [9]

Names

Arnica cordifolia is frequently called heartleaf arnica, but is also sometimes called leopard's bane. [10]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to New Mexico, as far east as Ontario and Michigan. [11] [12] It is a plant of many habitat types, including coniferous forests, and moist mountain meadows from sea level to altitudes of above 3,700 metres (12,000 ft), but most commonly between 1,200–3,400 m (4,000–11,000 ft). [11] [7]

Uses

The dried leaves can be made into a poultice or tincture to treat strains and bruises. [13]

References

  1. ↑ The International Plant Names Index
  2. ↑ Calflora taxon report, University of California, Arnica cordifolia Hook. heart leaved arnica, heartleaf arnica
  3. 1 2 3 4 Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. p. 355. ISBN   978-0-375-40233-3.
  4. ↑ Klinkenberg, Brian, ed. (2017). "Arnica cordifolia". E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  5. ↑ Giblin, David, ed. (2018). "Arnica cordifolia". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  6. ↑ "Arnica cordifolia". in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora. Jepson Herbarium; University of California, Berkeley. 2018. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  7. 1 2 3 Flora of North America Vol. 21 Page 374 Heartleaf arnica, Arnica cordifolia Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 331. 1834.
  8. ↑ Ecology Fire Ecology
  9. ↑ Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 44.
  10. ↑ Robertson, Leigh (1999). Southern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers : A Field Guide to Common Wildflowers, Shrubs, and Trees . Photographs by Duane B. Squires. Helena, Montana ; Estes Park, Colorado: Falcon ; Rocky Mountain Nature Association. p. 132. ISBN   978-1-56044-624-8. OCLC   47010542 . Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  11. 1 2 Sullivan, Steven. K. (2018). "Arnica cordifolia". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2019-09-15.
  12. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 state-level distribution map
  13. ↑ Fagan, Damian (2019). Wildflowers of Oregon: A Field Guide to Over 400 Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of the Coast, Cascades, and High Desert. Guilford, CT: FalconGuides. p. 101. ISBN   978-1-4930-3633-2. OCLC   1073035766.


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