| Gilia tweedyi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gilia tweedyi collected in 1898, Fort Steele, Wyoming, USA | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Polemoniaceae |
| Genus: | Gilia |
| Species: | G. tweedyi |
| Binomial name | |
| Gilia tweedyi Rydb. 1905 | |
Gilia tweedyi, or Tweedy's gilia, is an annual plant in the phlox family. It is native to the northwestern United States.
Gilia tweedyi was described and published in 1905 by Per Axel Rydberg, who named it in honor of Frank Tweedy, one of the earliest collectors. Rydberg's type description is based on Tweedy's specimen #4422, deposited at the New York Botanical Garden's Steere Herbarium. [1] [2] [3]
In his description, Rydberg noted the similarity of Gilia tweedyi to Gilia inconspicua and Gilia minutiflora. "From the former it differs in the smaller corolla, of which not only the corolla-tube but also the throat is included in the calyx; from the latter it differs in the pinnatifid leaves." [2] But the similarities would lead to taxonomic revision, with Gilia tweedy temporarily demoted to subspecific status.
In 1907, August Brand published Gilia minutiflora var. tweedyi. [4] In 1959, Arthur Cronquist created Gilia sinuata var. tweedyi (formerly Gilia inconspicua var. sinuata), [5] and then Gilia inconspicua var. tweedyi in 1984. [6] These subspecific taxa are no longer recognized; Gilia tweedy is the currently accepted name. [7] [8]
Gilia tweedyi is an annual 5–40 cm (2.0–15.7 in) tall, the stems usually branched. Height and branching are quite variable, probably dependent on habitat conditions. Stems and leaves have distinctive cottony or cobwebby hairs, and are glandular, more so in the upper part of the plant. Basal leaves are 2–5 cm (0.79–1.97 in) long, deeply lobed, the lobes mucronate (with sharp pointed tips); stem leaves are smaller, also mucronate. Flowers are in an open inflorescence (or flowers single to few in small individuals), the corollas (united petals) funnelform, blue with a yellow throat, the tube to 5 mm long with short lobes. Mature capsules are 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long. [9]
Gilia tweedyi is native to the northwestern US, from Oregon through central Idaho east to Montana, and south to northeast Nevada, Wyoming and northwest Colorado. [10] [9] It grows in juniper woodlands, sagebrush and other desert shrublands, dry grasslands and on dry sparsely vegetated sites, at 500 m (1,600 ft) to 2,500 m (8,200 ft) elevation. [9] [11]
Tweedy's gilia is ranked G4, i.e., apparently secure globally. It is of state conservation concern in Montana and Wyoming. [12]
Gilia tweedyi was named by Per Axel Rydberg in honor of botanist Frank Tweedy, who made several of the earliest collections, one of which (#4422) was the basis for Rydberg's type description. At the time, Tweedy was working as a topographer for the US Geological Survey. [13] The type specimen was collected in 1901, from a river bottom near Encampment, Wyoming, at 7200 ft elevation. [1] Earlier collections made by Aven Nelson, Professor of Botany at the University of Wyoming, in 1898 in southern Wyoming, and by Tweedy in 1900 in the Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming, are paratypes. [2] [14]
Per Axel Rydberg was a Swedish-born, American botanist who was the first curator of the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium.
Primula pauciflora, the pretty shooting star, few-flowered shooting star, dark throat shooting star or prairie shooting star, is a species of flowering plant in the primula family Primulaceae. It is a widespread and very variable species, native to western North America, from Subarctic America to Mexico, often in xeric and desert habitats. It is found in the Great Basin Deserts and Mojave Desert. Its synonyms include Dodecatheon pauciflorum and Dodecatheon pulchellum.
Erigeron eatonii is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Eaton's fleabane.
Gilia latiflora is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names hollyleaf gilia and broad-flowered gilia. It is endemic to deserts and mountains of southern California and the adjacent margin of Nevada.
Gilia sinuata is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names rosy gilia and rosy phlox. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to New Mexico, where it can be found in a number of open habitats, generally in sandy soil, and at elevations from 500 to 7500 feet.
Gilia austrooccidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name southwestern gilia. The scientific name is sometimes spelt Gilia austro-occidentalis. It is endemic to the Central Coast Ranges of California, where it grows in local hill and valley habitat.
Hydrophyllum capitatum, is a species of waterleaf known by the common name ballhead waterleaf. It is native to Western North America from British Columbia to Utah.
Eritrichium howardii, or Howard's alpine forget-me-not, is a rare flowering plant found in the Rocky Mountain area, most notably in Wyoming and Montana. It is a pleasant, light blue to purplish flower that has a yellow ring around the middle. It has 5 petals.
Erigeron formosissimus is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common name beautiful fleabane.
Erigeron tweedyi, or Tweedy's fleabane, is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Rocky Mountains in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
Frank Tweedy (1854–1937) was an American topographer and botanist. He worked on pioneering surveys first in the Adirondacks, and then in the American West. He also made major contributions to our knowledge of the western flora and vegetation. He is perhaps best known for his studies in Yellowstone National Park.
Astragalus tweedyi, or Tweedy's milkvetch, is a perennial herb in the pea family. It is native to Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Plantago tweedyi, Tweedy's plantain, is a perennial herb in the plantain family. It is native to the western United States, from New Mexico and Arizona north to Montana.
Ivesia tweedyi, Tweedy's mousetail or Tweedy's ivesia, is a perennial herb in the rose family. It is native to the Pacific Northwest in the United States, from Washington east to westernmost Montana.
Chionophila tweedyi, or Tweedy's snowlover, is a perennial herb in the plantain family. It is native to Idaho and Montana in the western United States.
Calamagrostis tweedyi, the Cascade reedgrass or Tweedy's reedgrass, is a perennial in the grass family. It is native to the Pacific Northwest in the United States, in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
Salix tweedyi, or Tweedy's willow, is a shrub in the willow family. It is native to the northwestern United States.
Symphyotrichum kentuckiense is a species of rare flowering plant in the Asteraceae family and is commonly known as Kentucky aster, Price's aster, Miss Price's aster, Sadie's aster, or lavender oldfield aster. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant that is endemic to broken limestone cedar glades and roadsides in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It blooms from August through October, reaches heights between 30 centimeters and 100 cm (3.3 ft), and has green to reddish-brown stems. It is a nearly hairless plant with blue to blue-violet ray florets.