Big-flowered Brickell Bush
Brickellia grandiflora
Found in partial shade in deep alluvium alongside Madera Canyon, Sta. Rita Mts., Arizona, USA. 10 September 2010.
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SHRUB: Mostly herbaceous with woody material at crown and numerous flexible stems
rising to a meter to a 1.5 meters.
FLOWERS: The name might seem a misnomer, but indeed most of the many species of
Brickell bush in Arizona have much smaller flowers. This being a composite, what appears to
be one flower is really many smaller flowers, or florets, gathered into heads. In this species the
florets are creamy white and consist of only disc florets in nodding heads.
LEAVES: Leaves are triangular and coarsely serrated along the margins. They are
opposite on the stems usually, but some are alternate.
RANGE: This and some very similar Brickellia ssp. with bigger leaves can be found
in deep soil and often in the partial shade of canyon bottoms. This one is most common in
the southern half of Arizona.
FRUIT: The disc florets each give rise to a seed with a long-bristled, white crown.
The seeds are wind dispersed in a manner similar to those of dandelion.
UNARMED. Without thorns.
Asteraceae -- Sunflower Family
More Information:
- Southwest Environmental Information Network
- Encyclopedia of Life
- USDA Plant Profile
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search