Arnica amplexicaulis
Encyclopedia
Arnica amplexicaulis is a species of arnica
known by the common name clasping arnica. It is native to western North America from Alaska
to California
and the Sierra Nevada, to the Rocky Mountains
and Wyoming
, where it grows in moist areas such as mountain meadows and streambanks.
This is a perennial herb usually growing from a small rhizome
and producing one or more hairy, glandular stems. The stems are lined with 5 to 10 pairs of oval-shaped, toothed leaves up to 12 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a cluster of several daisylike flower heads
with a center of brownish disc florets and a fringe of yellow ray florets 1 to 2 centimeters long.
The fruit is a cylindrical achene
covered in hairs and with a light brown pappus
at one end.
Arnica
Arnica is a genus with about 30 perennial, herbaceous species, belonging to the sunflower family . The genus name Arnica may be derived from the Greek arna, "lamb", in reference to the soft, hairy leaves....
known by the common name clasping arnica. It is native to western North America from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the Sierra Nevada, to the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where it grows in moist areas such as mountain meadows and streambanks.
This is a perennial herb usually growing from a small rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
and producing one or more hairy, glandular stems. The stems are lined with 5 to 10 pairs of oval-shaped, toothed leaves up to 12 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a cluster of several daisylike flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
with a center of brownish disc florets and a fringe of yellow ray florets 1 to 2 centimeters long.
The fruit is a cylindrical achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
covered in hairs and with a light brown pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
at one end.