Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Athysanus pusillus
sandweed
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Montana.

Habitat: Dry, open, often grassy places.

Flowers: March-June

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Annual

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bees, flies, butterflies

Description:
General:

Slender annual, the stem usually branched from near the base, 0.4-3.5 dm. tall, pubescent with stiff, simple and forked to 4-rayed hairs.

Leaves:

Leaves alternate, several, all cauline, oblanceolate to obovate, 6-30 mm. long and 2-10 mm. wide, entire to remotely toothed, pubescent with stalked, cross-shaped hairs, short-petiolate below to sessile, but not clasping, above, the upper 2 reduced to bracts.

Flowers:

Inflorescence an elongate, many-flowered, one-sided, open raceme, in fruit many times longer than the stem, with short, stiff hairs throughout or glabrous above; pedicels 1-4 mm. long, recurved; sepals 4, 1 mm. long, purplish; petals 4, white, spatulate, 1-2 mm. long, sometimes lacking; stamens 6; style 0.2-0.3 mm. long.

Fruits:

Silicles sub-orbicular, 2.5 mm. broad, with hairs hooked at the tip along the margins and valves.

Accepted Name:
Athysanus pusillus (Hook.) Greene
Publication: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 72. 1885.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Athysanus pusillus (Hook.) Greene var. glabrior S. Watson
Thysanocarpus oblongifolius Nutt.
Thysanocarpus pusillus Hook.
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Athysanus pusillus in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database

WA Flora Checklist: Athysanus pusillus checklist entry

OregonFlora: Athysanus pusillus information

E-Flora BC: Athysanus pusillus atlas page

CalPhotos: Athysanus pusillus photos

25 photographs:
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