1. Jamesia americana Torrey & A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 593. 1840.
[F]
American cliffbush American cliffbush
Edwinia americana (Torrey & A. Gray) A. Heller
Stems 5–20(–40) dm. Bark exfoliating readily or tardily in reddish brown or blackish sheets, or gray to brown strips or strings. Branches spreading or ascending, often stunted and straggly; twigs ascending-strigose. Leaves: petiole (1–)2–18(–54) mm, ascending-strigose to canescent or sericeous; blade ovate or broadly ovate to obovate, rhombic, or suborbiculate, (0.7–)1.3–8(–10) × (0.5–)1–6.3(–8.5) cm, base cuneate to obtuse or rounded, usually asymmetric, margins crenate to dentate, (5–)9–51(–69)-toothed, apex obtuse to rounded, abaxial surface moderately to densely canescent or sericeous, adaxial sparsely strigose to glabrescent. Inflorescences cymose, usually 3–35-flowered, rarely 1–2-flowered on lateral branches; peduncle 0–30 mm, sparsely to densely strigose. Pedicels 1.5–8 mm, sparsely to densely strigose. Flowers: hypanthium 1.3–2 × 2.5–4.5 mm, sparsely to densely strigose; sepals 5, lanceolate to deltate-ovate, 1.5–7(–8) × 1.1–2 mm, margins usually entire, sometimes 2–3-lobed apically, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface sparsely to densely strigose; petals 5, white or pink, (4–)5.5–11(–11.5) × 3–4.5 mm, sparsely to densely strigose or canescent, especially distally; stamens 10; filaments (2–)2.7–10 × (0.2–)0.5–1 mm; anthers 0.7–1.1 mm; styles (2–)3–5, 3–8 mm. Capsules 3.5–5.5(–7) × 2–3.8 mm. Seeds 0.6–1 mm. 2n = 32.
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora): w United States, n Mexico.
N. H. Holmgren and P. K. Holmgren (1989) recognized subsp. americana, which is widespread in the eastern part of the species' range, and included only var. americana and subsp. californica (Small) A. E. Murray in the western part of the range, with three allopatric varieties: macrocalyx, rosea, and zionis.
The Chiricahua Apache and Mescalero Apache of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico used the seeds as food (D. E. Moerman 1998). The species has been cultivated as an ornamental since 1862 (R. A. Vines 1960).
