Baccharis salicina Torr. & Gray

  • Family: Asteraceae (aster, sunflower, daisy, etc.)
  • Common names: willow baccharis, groundsel tree
  • Synonym: none (Baccharis neglecta misapplied)

    Small Shrub 1-3 m (3-9 ft) tall. Leaves oblanceolate-oblong, 3-4 cm (1.2-1.6 in) long and 0.5-1 cm (0.2-0.4 in) wide, sessile, serrate with usually widely-spaced forward projecting teeth. Staminate and pistillate flower heads on separate plants, small, tan or whitish, in leaf axils toward ends of branches. Fruits small achenes with persistent tan or whitish pappus bristles. Branches glabrous, striate-angled.

    Distribution: Southwestern Great Plains, from central Kansas to southwest Texas and eastern New Mexico.
    Habitat: Open sandy flood plains, especially in mildly saline areas.
    NWI status: FAC
    Comment: Baccharis is derived from the Greek name for some other plant; salicina refers to the resemblance to some species of willow (Salix).

    
    
    
    Distribution in Oklahoma:

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    Last update: 9/8/99
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