Polyctenium

Polyctenium
Polyctenium fremontii flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Brassicaceae
Genus:	Polyctenium Greene
Species
Polyctenium fremontii Polyctenium williamsiae

Polyctenium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to the Great Basin region of the Western United States. ^[1]

The plants are known by the common name combleaf, ^[2] owing to the resemblance of their deeply lobed leaves to a comb.

Species

There are two species within the genus:

• Polyctenium williamsiae — Commonly known as the Washoe combleaf or the Williams combleaf. It is the rarer of the two species and is listed as a critically endangered and fully protected species by the State of Nevada. ^{[3] [4]} Found in the Washoe Valley playas of the Virginia Range. ^[5]
• Polyctenium fremontii — Commonly known as the Desert combleaf, it is the more common of the two species, being found in the Great Basin habitats of northeastern California, southeast Oregon, southwest Idaho, and northwest Nevada. ^[6]

References

1. ITIS Report: Polyctenium . accessed 5.5.2014
2. NRCS. "Polyctenium". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 10 October 2015.
3. Nevada Division of Natural Heritage (April 2025). "Current Track List" (PDF). heritage.nv.gov. Archived from the original on 2025-10-01. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
4. "NAC: CHAPTER 527 - PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF TIMBERED LANDS, TREES AND FLORA". www.leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
5. USDA Plants Profile: Polyctenium williamsiae
6. USDA Plants Profile: Polyctenium fremontii

External links

• USDA Plants Profile for Polyctenium (combleaf)