Baccharis salicina is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae. Common names include willow baccharis,[2] and Great Plains false willow.[3] It is a shrub found in North America where it grows in mildly saline areas.

Description

Baccharis salicina is a shrub producing erect, branching stems approaching 4 metres (13 ft) in maximum height. The thick leaves are oblong to oval in shape and sometimes have roughly toothed edges. They may be up to 7 centimetres (2.8 in) long. The shrub is dioecious, with male and female plants producing flower heads of different types. The head is enclosed in a layer of phyllaries and the female flowers yield fruits, each an achene with a white pappus about a centimeter long.[3]

The earliest name for the species is Baccharis salicifolia Nutt., coined in 1840.[4] This name, however, had previously been used for some South American material,[5] so the North American plants needed to be renamed as Baccharis salicina.[6]

Distribution and habitat

The plant is native to the United States (southern Great Plains region and Southwestern United States; states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah[7][8] and northern Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Durango, Sonora).[3][9]

The plant grows on open sandy flood plains, most commonly in mildly saline areas.[10]

References

  1. ^ The Plant List, Baccharis salicina Torr. & A.Gray
  2. ^ "Willow Baccharis (Baccharis salicina)". Chihuahan Desert Plants. Archived from the original on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Flora of North America, Willow-baccharis, Great Plains false willow, Baccharis salicina Torrey & A. Gray
  4. ^ Nuttall, Thomas 1840. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, new series 7: 337
  5. ^ Persoon, Christiaan Hendrik 1807. Synopsis Plantarum 2: 425
  6. ^ Torrey, John & Asa Gray. 1842. flora of North America :containing abridged descriptions of all the known indigenous and naturalized plants growing north of Mexico, arranged according to the natural system 2(2): 258-259
  7. ^ United States Department of Agriculture plants profile
  8. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  9. ^ Tropicos, specimen listing for Baccharis salicina Torr. & A. Gray
  10. ^ "Oklahoma Biological Survey, Baccharis salicina Torr. & Gray". Archived from the original on 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2012-09-09.