Archive for March, 2012
Rayless Arnicas
After much time off, I’m back to writing descriptions for my book and am trying to finish up the arnicas. Arnicas are a difficult bunch to sort out, and I’ve been struggling to gain some understanding of them for a while now. They are variable, can hybridize, and sometimes reproduce by a form of self-sowing called apomixis. Apparently this can lead to populations with different characteristics than the norm. This genus definitely has an independent streak and doesn’t like to follow the rules.
Arnica discoidea (L) near Bradley Lake and the larger Arnica parryi (R) at Groundhog Mountain