Perityle quinqueflora (Steyermark) Shinners

Description

 

Tufted perennial from a woody base; stems to 30 cm tall; leaves opposite in lower portion, becoming alternate above, the blades 15-25 mm long, 8-20mm wide, thickened and leathery, broadly triangular to kidney-shaped, somewhat toothed to very shallowly lobed on the margins; flower heads cylindrical, in open clusters, rayless, 7-9 mm high; involucral bracts five or six, appearing as a single series; disk florets yellow, 5-6(8); pappus of 25-30 unequal bristles at the summit of the flattened achene. Flowers April to October.

Similar Species

 

This species grades into Perityle rupestris, which occurs in eastern Jeff Davis County, Texas. Perityle quinqueflora can be distinguished by its more fleshy leaves and its five-flowered heads.

Distribution

 

New Mexico, Eddy County; Texas, Culberson, Hudspeth, Presidio, and western Jeff Davis counties.

Habitat

 

Crevices of limestone (rarely igneous) bluffs, cliffs in high canyons and caprock, 1,530-1,830 m (5,000-6,000 ft).

Remarks

 

This species is unique owing to its relative rarity, striking appearance, and restricted habitat.

Conservation Considerations

 

Relatively inaccessible habitats provide a large degree of protection for this species.

Perityle quinqueflora (Five-flowered rock daisy) | New Mexico Rare Plants (unm.edu)

 

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