Hackelia floribunda (Lehm.) I.M.Johnst.

  • Authority

    Gentry, Johnnie L. & Carr, Robert L. 1976. A revision of the genus Hackelia (Boraginaceae) in North America north of Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 26: 121-227.

  • Family

    Boraginaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Hackelia floribunda (Lehm.) I.M.Johnst.

  • Description

    Species Description - Robust biennial or rarely a short-lived perennial, 3-12(-14) dm tall; stems mostly from a short taproot, erect, few or often solitary, sometimes several, reflexed-to spreading-hirsute or sometimes retrorsely strigose below, hirsute and strigose or antrorsely strigose above. Leaves hirsute to subappressed-hirsute or strigose, sometimes velutinous or hispidulous; basal leaves generally withering early, (3-)4.5-21 cm long, 5-25 mm wide, oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, petiolate, obtuse or acute; cauline leaves ascending, (2-)3.5-25(-32) cm long, (3-)6-30(-50) mm wide, the lower leaves petiolate, oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or sometimes narrowly oblong, the upper ones sessile, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, or narrowly elliptic to linear, generally narrowly acute, gradually reduced upward, the bracts absent or present only at the base of the inflorescence, sometimes minutely bracteate throughout. Pedicels short, 4-10 mm long in fruit. Calyx lobes (l-)1.5-2.3 mm long, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, subappressed-hirsute, sometimes densely hairy. Corolla limb blue, rarely white, (2.5-)4-7.5 mm wide, the tube (1-) 1.3-1.8 mm long, generally shorter than the calyx lobes. Fornices with appendages papillate, slightly broader than long, the protuberance about as broad as long. Anthers (0.3-)0.5-0.7(-0.8) mm long. Nutlets (2-)2.5-3.5(-4) mm long, ovate or ovate-lanceolate; dorsal surface verrucose-hispidulous, sometimes only hispidulous or smooth, the intramarginal prickles absent or rarely present, 1 (-3), much shorter than the marginal ones, 0.1-1 mm long; marginal prickles (1.5-)2-3(-3.5) mm long, distinct or slightly connate at their bases, sometimes the prickles connate 1/3 to 1/2 their length forming a wing, 5-9 on each side, often with a shorter one in between. Chromosome number, n = ca. 12.

  • Discussion

    Echinospermum floribundum Lehm., Stirp. Pug. 2: 24. 1830. Echinospermum deflexum var. floribundum (Lehm.) Wats., Bot. King Exp. 246. 1871. Lappula floribunda Greene, Pittonia 2: 182. 1891. Lappula leptophylla Rydb., Mem. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 1: 329. 1900. Hackelia leptophylla (Rydb.) I. M. Johnst., Contr. Gray Herb. 68: 46. 1923. Syntypes (MONTANA. Bozeman, 1887, Tweedy 223; Gallatin Co., 1886, Tweedy 1174; Yellowstone Park: 1888, Dr. Chas. H. Hall s.n.; 1884, Tweedy 191, in part) could not be located. Lappula scaberrima Piper, Bull. Torrey Club 29: 545. 1902. Hackelia scaberrima (Piper) Brand, Pflanzenr. IV. 252(Heft 97): 127. 1931. Type: COLORADO. Cripple Creek, August 1897, A. Eastwood s.n. (CAS!). Lappula angustata Rydb., Bull. Torrey Club 31: 636. 1904. Hackelia scaberrima var. angustata (Rydb.) Brand, Pflanzenr. IV. 252(Heft 97): 127. 1931. Type: SOUTH DAKOTA. Oreville, Black Hills, altitude 1,650 meters, July 16, 1892, P. A. Rydberg 891 (NY!). Type. SASKATCHEWAN, Drummond (possible type, K!). The type of Echinospermum floribundum is difficult to place because Lehmann did not cite any specimens with the description. Later he listed the habitat of E. floribundum as Lake Pentanguishene to the Rocky Mountains and cited a Drummond specimen in Hooker’s Flora Boreali-Americana in 1837. An illustration of the species is included in this work, plate 164. Hackelia floribunda and H. micrantha are two of the most common and widespread species of the genus in western North America. They are sympatric throughout much of their geographic range. Hackelia micrantha is more common in Washington, Oregon, and California, whereas H. floribunda is more abundant in the Rocky Mountains, especially the southern part. In Colorado, H. micrantha is known only from Garfield County. This probably represents a recent introduction of the species in this area. Hackelia micrantha does not occur in southern Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Both of the species often are found growing in close proximity to one another, but they are in most cases separated by habitat preference. Hackelia floribunda prefers a moist habitat, whereas H. micrantha is found in a somewhat drier and better drained area. A morphological comparison between the two species is given on p 213. There is considerable morphological variation in Hackelia floribunda especially with respect to the nutlets. The nutlets are typically without intramarginal prickles, although a specimen rarely may have l(-3) intramarginal prickles. Representative specimens with intramarginal prickles on at least some nutlets of the inflorescence are as follows: Idaho, McCammon, Nelson & Macbride 1581 (DS, GH, MIN, MO, RM); Arizona, Gentry & Davidse 1799; New Mexico, Wooton & Standley 3706 (US). The marginal prickles of the nutlets are distinct or only slightly connate at their bases, but occasional plants particularly those from Colorado have the marginal prickles connate for one-third to one-half their length forming a wing to the body of the nutlet. Representative specimens with connate marginal prickles on at least some nutlets of the inflorescence are as follows: South Dakota, Rydberg 891 (NY); Nebraska, Rydberg 249 (NY); Montana, Hitchcock and Muhlick 12056; Wyoming, Porter 4023 (DS, GH, KANU, RM, UC, WTU); Colorado, Eastwood s.n. (CAS); Ewan 14717 (CAS); J. H. Ehlers 7752 (MICH); Arizona, Phillips 2819 (ARIZ); New Mexico, Arsene & Benedict 16527 (US). Both Lappula angustata and L. scaberrima were described as having winged nutlets. Further field work and study in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Colorado, and western Nebraska may warrant the recognition of subspecific taxa within Hackelia floribunda, but it is presently treated as a single highly variable species. Plants in Colorado have been separated from Hackelia floribunda based upon size of both the corollas and nutlets and the connate marginal prickles. The name, H. leptophylla, has been applied to these plants. Hackelia leptophylla is tentatively placed as a synonym of H. floribunda until the syntypes can be located and studied. Lappula floribunda var geisiana has proven to be a synonym of H. amethystina (Gentry, 1974).

  • Distribution

    Habitat and distribution (Fig. 23). In moist places along creek banks, in aspen groves, or in meadows, less often in thickets, open woodlands, and on dry hillsides at elevations of (seldom as low as 2,200 feet) 4,000 to 10,500 feet, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, south to Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, disjunct to Durango, Mexico, less often in Washington, Oregon, and California.

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