Kingdom Plantae Tribe Astereae Scientific name Baccharis salicina Rank Species | Order Asterales Genus Baccharis Higher classification Baccharis | |
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Similar Baccharis, Daisy family, Baccharis brachyphylla, Baccharis sergiloides, Baccharis plummerae | ||
Baccharis salicina is a species of North American plants in the sunflower family. Common names include willow baccharis, and Great Plains false willow.
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Distribution
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 and northern Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Durango, Sonora).
The plant grows on open sandy flood plains, most commonly 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.
The earliest name for the species is Baccharis salicifolia Nutt., coined in 1840. This name, however, had previously been used for some South American material, so the North American plants needed to be renamed as Baccharis salicina.
