| Tetradymia canescens | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Tetradymia |
| Species: | T. canescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Tetradymia canescens | |
Tetradymia argyraea is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names spineless horsebrush [1] and gray horsebrush. It is native to western North America.
The range of Tetradymia argyraea is primarily east of the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada of British Columbia to California. It extends eastward to southwest Montana, Wyoming, western Colorado and northwest New Mexico, where it grows in sagebrush scrub, woodlands, forest, scrubby open plains, and other habitat. It occupies a large range of elevations from near sea level to 3,400 m (11,000 ft) but favors the range of 1,500–2,700 metres (5,000–9,000 ft). [2] [3]
It is a bushy shrub 10–80 cm (4–31 in) tall with multibranched woody or semi-woody stems that grow from taproots. It is coated in woolly fibers with hairless strips at intervals along the branches. It has no spines. The lance-shaped leaves are no more than 4 cm (1.6 in) long and woolly or silver-haired in texture. Longer-lived leaves are alternately arranged along the stem and smaller, shorter-lived leaves occur in clusters near the axils of the primary leaves. The inflorescence bears usually three to six flower heads which are each enveloped in four thick phyllaries coated in white woolly hairs. Each head contains four tubular flowers in shades of pale to bright yellow, each 7–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long. Flowers are produced in May through October. The fruit is an achene 7–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long including its long pappus of bristles. [5] [6] [4]
The shrub is wildfire-resistant, resprouting vigorously and increasing in herbage and seed production in seasons following a fire. [7] Fire suppression efforts decrease the abundance of the shrub and frequent burns increase it. [7]
The shrub is toxic to sheep, causing photosensitivity, bad wool quality, abortion, and death due to the presence of furanoeremophilanes. [7] It causes a swelling of the head known as bighead disease. [7] [8]
Native American groups used this plant for a number of medicinal purposes, including protection from ghosts and witches. [9]
Elaeagnus angustifolia, commonly called Russian olive, silver berry, oleaster, or wild olive, is a species of Elaeagnus, native to western and central Asia, Iran, from southern Russia and Kazakhstan to Turkey, parts of Pakistan and parts of India. As of 2020, it is widely established in North America as an introduced species.
Tetradymia axillaris is a flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names longspine horsebrush and cottonthorn. This is a plant of the sagebrush and desert plant communities of the southwestern United States.
Tiquilia canescens, the woody crinklemat or shrubby tiquilia, is a perennial, shrub in mid- to lower-elevation desert regions in the family Boraginaceae - Borage or the Forget-me-nots. It is found in the southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico, in the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California. It is a short, low-growing plant, seldom over 15 in tall.
Sambucus racemosa is a species of elderberry known by the common names red elderberry and red-berried elder.
Balsamorhiza sagittata is a North American species of flowering plant in the tribe Heliantheae of the family Asteraceae known by the common name Arrowleaf Balsamroot. Also sometimes called Oregon sunflower, it is widespread across western Canada and much of the western United States.
Chaenactis douglasii is a North American species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name Douglas' dustymaiden.
Tetradymia is a genus of North American shrubs in the groundsel tribe within the sunflower family. Horsebrush is a common name for plants in this genus.
Plagiobothrys canescens is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name valley popcornflower. It is endemic to California, where it is a common wildflower in valley, foothill, desert, coastline, and canyon habitat in the central and southern regions of the state.
Psorothamnus schottii is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Schott's dalea. It is native to the Sonoran Deserts of northern Mexico and adjacent sections of Arizona and the Colorado Desert in California.
Ribes hudsonianum is a North American species of currant, known by the common name northern black currant.
Suaeda taxifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae known by the common name woolly seablite.
Tetradymia argyraea is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names striped cottonthorn and striped horsebrush. It is native to the desert mountains of the southwestern United States, particularly of California, Nevada, and Arizona, where it grows in desert woodland habitat. It is a woolly, spiny shrub growing one half to nearly two meters in maximum height. The erect stems are white-woolly except for bare stripes at intervals. The leaves are linear in shape and harden as they age, becoming spiny. The larger leaves are woolly and there are clusters of smaller, threadlike leaves which may be hairless. The inflorescence bears two to five flower heads which are each enveloped in five thick phyllaries coated in white woolly hairs. Each head contains five pale yellow flowers each around a centimeter long. Flowers are produced in summer, as late as September. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long tipped with a pappus of bristles.
Tetradymia comosa is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, known by the common name hairy horsebrush.
Tetradymia glabrata is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name littleleaf horsebrush. It is native to the western United States, especially the Great Basin and Mojave Desert. Its habitat includes sagebrush, woodlands, and scrub. It is an erect, bushy shrub growing to a maximum height over one meter, its stems coated unevenly in white woolly fibers with many bare strips. The narrow, pointed leaves are usually no more than a centimeter long and most occur in clusters along the branches. The inflorescence bears up to seven flower heads which are each enveloped in four woolly phyllaries. Each head contains four yellow cream flowers each around a centimeter long. The fruit is a hairy, ribbed achene with a pappus of bristles.
Tetradymia spinosa is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name shortspine horsebrush. It is native to the western United States, especially the basins and plateaus west of the Rocky Mountains. It grows in sagebrush, woodlands, and scrub habitat, often among shadscale in alkaline areas such as playas. It is a bushy shrub with many branches coated in woolly white fibers and growing to a maximum height around a meter. The leaves are narrow, curving, and hooklike, hardening into sharp spines up to 2.5 centimeters long. The inflorescence bears one or two flower heads which are each enveloped in four to six woolly phyllaries. Each head contains up to 8 tubular yellow disc flowers up to 1 cm long. The fruit is a densely hairy achene which may be nearly 2 cm long, including its pappus of long bristles.
Tetradymia tetrameres is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name fourpart horsebrush and dune horsebrush. It is native to the Great Basin, where it occurs in western Nevada and just over the border in Mono County, California. It is a plant of dry scrub and sand dunes. It is a bushy, woolly shrub with many erect, spineless branches. It is the largest of the horsebrushes, growing up to two meters in height. The soft, woolly leaves are narrow and threadlike, growing up to 4 centimeters long. Shorter leaves occur in clusters around the primary leaves. The inflorescence bears 4 to 6 flower heads which are each enveloped in four or five woolly phyllaries. Each head contains up to four or five light yellow flowers each around a centimeter long. The fruit is a hairy achene which may be up to a centimeter long, including its pappus of long bristles.
Tricardia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the borage family containing the single species Tricardia watsonii, which is known by the common name threehearts. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in deserts and mountains in sandy open habitat, often beneath shrubs. It is a perennial herb growing from a taproot and a woody caudex covered with the shreddy remains of previous seasons' herbage. It produces several erect stems up to about 40 centimeters tall. Most of the leaves are located in a basal rosette about the caudex. They are lance-shaped and coated thinly in woolly hairs. They are up to 9 centimeters long and are borne on petioles. A few smaller leaves occur higher on the stem. Flowers occur in a loose cyme at the top of the stem. Each has a calyx of five sepals. The outer three are heart-shaped and green to pink or purple in color, and the inner two are much smaller and narrower. The flower within is bell-shaped, white with central purple markings, and roughly half a centimeter wide. The fruit is a capsule just under a centimeter long which contains 4 to 8 seeds.
Trichostema parishii is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Parish's bluecurls.
Erigeron filifolius is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common names thread-leaf fleabane.
Erigeron poliospermus is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names gray-seeded fleabane, purple cushion fleabane, and hairy-seed fleabane. Native to western North America, it is mainly found to the east of the Cascade Range in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Media related to Tetradymia canescens at Wikimedia Commons