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FNA | Family List | FNA Vol. 14 | Apocynaceae | Amsonia

5. Amsonia tabernaemontana Walter, Fl. Carol. 98. 1788.
[E]

Eastern blue-star

Stems erect (ascending), 27–102 cm, glabrous (sparsely pubes­cent); branches borne on distal portion of stem, much exceeding infructescence. Leaves: petiole 1.5–7(–9) mm, sparsely to moderately pubescent or gla­brous; blades not heteromor­phic; stem leaf blades lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, ovate, narrowly elliptic, or elliptic, (2.5–)3.3–12.5(–14.4) cm × (8–)11–50(–65) mm, margins entire to subentire, not to moderately revo­lute, ciliate or not, apex acuminate to acute (rarely with a rounded tip), surfaces sparsely pubescent abax­ially (and sparsely scabrous or short-pubescent adax­ially) or gla­brous; branch leaf blades similar to stem leaf blades. Flowers: sepals deltate to narrowly deltate, (0.4–)0.5–1.8(–2.3) mm; corolla tube bluish (rarely to lilac), some­times greenish above, (5–)6–8(–8.8) mm, lobes pale blue (rarely to dark or lilac-blue or white), (5–)6–9.8(–12) mm, outer surface of corolla with 5 patches of long trichomes at corolla lobe bases and distal part of tube (very rarely glabrate). Follicles erect to pendulous (spreading), (5–)7–15 cm × 2.1–4(–4.2) mm, apex acu­minate (acute), glabrous. Seeds (5–)5.5–10.8 × (1.2–)1.5–2.4(–3.3) mm.

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora): c, e United States.

Amsonia tabernaemontana encompasses a great deal of morphological diversity, particularly in leaf size and shape and sepal indument and length, which is to some extent geographically correlated; therefore, the recogni­tion of varieties seems desirable. However, the varieties are not well differentiated and tend to blend into one another, especially where their ranges overlap.


1 Stems ascending (erect); stem leaf blades (2.5–)3.3–7.4 cm; sepals usually sparsely pubescent; e Texas, Oklahoma   5c Amsonia tabernaemontana var. repens
+ Stems erect; stem leaf blades (4–)6.5–12(–14.4) cm; sepals pubescent or glabrous; widespread in se to sc United States.   (2)
       
2 (1) Sepals narrowly deltate or less often deltate, (0.5–)0.9–1.6(–1.9) mm, usually sparsely to moderately long-pubescent in flower (often becoming glabrous or glabrate in fruit); Illinois, Arkansas to Kansas, Oklahoma   5b Amsonia tabernaemontana var. illustris
+ Sepals deltate (seldom narrowly deltate), (0.4–)0.5–1.1(–1.6) mm, glabrous (glabrate with rare single hairs); widespread.   (3)
       
3 (2) Stem leaf blades lanceolate to ovate, narrowly elliptic, or elliptic, (5.3–)8–12(–14) cm × (17–)24–50(–65) mm   5a Amsonia tabernaemontana var. tabernaemontana
+ Stem leaf blades narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate (or narrowly elliptic when young), (4–)6.5–10(–11.5) cm × 10–22(–25) mm   5d Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia

Lower Taxa


 

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