Brickellia californica

Brickellia californica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Asteroideae
Tribe:	Eupatorieae
Genus:	Brickellia
Species:	B. californica
Binomial name
Brickellia californica (Torr. & A.Gray) A.Gray
Synonyms
Synonymy Brickellia albicaulis (Rydb.) A.Nelson Brickellia reniformis A.Gray Brickellia tenera A.Gray Brickellia wrightii A.Gray Brickellia wrightii Durand & Hilg. Bulbostylis californica Torr. & A.Gray Coleosanthus albicaulis Rydb. Coleosanthus axillaris Greene Coleosanthus californicus (Torr. & A.Gray) Kuntze Coleosanthus melissaefolius Greene Coleosanthus melissifolius Greene Coleosanthus reniformis (A.Gray) Rydb. Coleosanthus tener (A.Gray) Kuntze Coleosanthus wrightii (A.Gray) Britton Eupatorium axillare (Torr. & A.Gray) Moc. & Sessé ex DC.

Brickellia californica is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name California brickellbush.^[1] It is native to northern Mexico (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila) and the western United States (from California north to Oregon and Idaho, east as far as western Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle.^[2] It is a common plant in many habitat types, especially in dry areas.^[3]

Brickellia californica is a thickly branching shrub growing 5-200 cm (8-80 inches) in height. The fuzzy, glandular leaves are roughly triangular in shape with toothed to serrated edges. The leaves are 1 - 6 centimeters long. The inflorescences at the end of stem branches contain many small leaves and bunches of narrow, cylindrical flower heads. Each head is about 13 millimeters long and wrapped in flat, wide, purplish green overlapping phyllaries. At the tip of the head are a number of long white to pink disc florets. The fruit is a hairy cylindrical achene 3 millimeters long with a pappus of bristles.^[4]

References

1. Calflora taxon report, University of Calilfornia, Brickellia californica (Torrey & A. Gray) A. Gray, California Brickelbush
2. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
3. Turner, B. L. 1997. The Comps of Mexico: A systematic account of the family Asteraceae, vol. 1 – Eupatorieae. Phytologia Memoirs 11: i–iv, 1–272.
4. Flora of North America, Brickellia californica (Torrey & A. Gray) A. Gray, Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 64. 1849.

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment - Brickellia californica
• United States Department of AgriculturePlants Profile
• Brickellia californica - Calphotos Photo gallery, University of California