Cardionema ramosissimum
Bot. Gaz. 56: 473. 1913.
Basionym: Loeflingia ramosissima Weinmann Flora 3: 608. 1820 (as Loefflingia).
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 5. Treatment on page 46.
Revision as of 21:57, 16 December 2019 by FNA>Volume Importer
Stems often forming dense mats, 5–30+ cm, often obscured by stipules and dense pubescence. Leaves: stipules 1–8 mm, often nearly as long as leaves, lobes acuminate; blade 2-grooved, 5–13 mm, apex finely spinose, glabrous. Flowers densely woolly, hairs 0.5–1.5 mm; sepals 5, margins fimbriate, awn 1.5–4 mm; staminodes white, 0.3–0.5 mm. Utricles: apex apiculate. Seeds 1.4–1.6 mm.
Phenology: Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat: Sandy beaches, grassy bluffs, sand dunes
Elevation: 0-200 m
Distribution
Calif., Oreg., Wash., Mexico, South America (Chile, Ecuador, Peru).
Discussion
The flowers are burlike in fruit with the utricle enclosed in the rigid, persistent calyx, the presumed unit of seed dispersal.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.