Actaea arizonica

Actaea arizonica is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name Arizona bugbane.[1] It is endemic to Arizona in the United States, where it occurs in Coconino, Gila, and Yavapai Counties.[2] Like some other species in genus Actaea, this plant was formerly included in the genus Cimicifuga.[2][3][4]

Actaea arizonica

Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Actaea
Species:
A. arazonica
Binomial name
Actaea arazonica
(S. Watson) J. Compton
Synonyms

Cimicifuga arizonica

This rhizomatous perennial herb produces hairless stems up to 1.5[5] to 2[6] meters tall. The leaves are each made up of triple-lobed, toothed leaflets up to 17.5 centimeters long by 12.5 wide. They are borne on long petioles up to 35 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a panicle with several long branches, growing erect or leaning. The flowers have five sepals, two of which are greenish and three of which are cream in color. There are sometimes white petals as well, but these are often absent.[5] Flowering occurs in July and August.[6] There are many stamens in each flower.[5] The flowers are pollinated by three species of bumblebee, Bombus occidentalis, Bombus morrisoni, and Bombus huntii.[7] If the flowers are not pollinated by insects, or if pollination is prevented, for example, by a heavy rain, the flowers undergo abortion.[6] The fruit is a follicle that has "a bottle-brush appearance,"[6] and "the seeds resemble furry little bugs."[8]

This plant is endemic to central Arizona, where it grows in the ecotone between coniferous forest and the riparian zone. The elevation is about 5300–7000 feet. Some plants grow in canyons and some grow in very moist habitat such as seeps and springs on mountain slopes. The soils are rich with humus and are well-shaded.[2] The type locality is Bill Williams Mountain in Coconino County.[6] It shares its habitat with the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida).[9]

References
  1. "Actaea arizonica". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. Actaea arizonica. The Nature Conservancy.
  3. Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  4. "Actaea arizonica". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  5. Cimicifuga arizonica. Flora of North America.
  6. Cimicifuga arizonica. Archived 2010-12-30 at the Wayback Machine Arizona Game and Fish Department.
  7. Pellmyr, O. (1985). Pollination ecology of Cimicifuga arizonica (Ranunculaceae). Botanical Gazette 146(3) 404-12.
  8. Cimicifuga arizonica. Archived October 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Center for Plant Conservation.
  9. Arizona Bugbane (Cimicifuga arizonica) Conservation Agreement. USFS, USFWS. December 1998.
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