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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Leafy Arnica
Arnica chamissonis Less.

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Composite (Compositae)
Flowering: June-August
Field Marks: This species differs from other species of Arnica by having 5-10 pairs of leaves on the stem and pale yellow flower heads up to 2 inches across, with each head subtended by bracts with a rounded tip and a tuft of hairs at the
Habitat: Wet meadows and other moist places in the mountains.
Habit: Perennial herb with elongated rhizomes.
Stems: Upright, unbranched, up to 2 1/2 feet tall, hairy, with the hairs sometimes glandular and sticky.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, with 5-10 pairs per stem, lanceolate to oblanceolate, up to 8 inches long, up to 2 inches wide, hairy, with or without teeth, all but the lowermost sessile.
Flowers: Crowded into heads up to 2 inches across, pale yellow, with 12-18 ray flowers and many disk flowers; heads subtended by several bracts, the bracts rounded at the tip, up to 1/2 inch long, with a tuft of hairs at the tip.
Sepals: 0.
Petals: 5, pale yellow, some of them united to form a ray, others united to form a tube.
Stamens: 5.
Pistils: Ovary inferior, somewhat hairy.
Fruits: Achenes usually somewhat hairy, narrowly ellipsoid, up to 1/4 inch long, with a tuft of tawny bristles at the tip.

Previous Species -- Streambank Arnica (Arnica amplexicaulis)
Return to Species List -- Group 7
Next Species -- Sticky-leaf Arnica (Arnica diversifolia)

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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:26:54 EST
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