Eriastrum diffusum is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name miniature woollystar. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Texas, where it grows in many types of open habitat. This is an annual herb producing a thin, usually woolly stem up to about 20 centimeters long, growing erect or spreading outward. The leaves are divided into 2 to 4 narrow, threadlike linear lobes. The inflorescence is a woolly cluster of narrow, leaflike bracts laced with webby fibers. The small flowers are funnel-shaped, with yellowish throats and white to pale blue corollas.
| Eriastrum diffusum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Polemoniaceae |
| Genus: | Eriastrum |
| Species: | E. diffusum |
| Binomial name | |
| Eriastrum diffusum | |
| Subspecies[2] | |
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Taxonomy
editIn 1870 Asa Gray described a variety of Gilia filifolia he named diffusa. It was described as a species twice before Herbert Louis Mason moved it to the genus Eriastrum creating the accepted species name. Together with its genus it is classified in the Polemoniaceae family. It has three subspecies.[2]
- Eriastrum diffusum subsp. coachellae – Native to California[3]
- Eriastrum diffusum subsp. diffusum – Widespread in the southwestern US and northern Mexico[4]
- Eriastrum diffusum subsp. utahense – Native to Utah[5]
Eriastrum diffusum has 9 synonyms of the species or one of its three subspecies.[2][3][4][5]
| Name | Year | Rank | Synonym of: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eriastrum diffusum var. coachellae (S.J.De Groot) Tiehm | 2023 | variety | subsp. coachellae | ≡ hom. |
| Eriastrum diffusum subsp. jonesii H.Mason | 1945 | subspecies | subsp. diffusum | = het. |
| Eriastrum diffusum var. utahense (S.J.De Groot) Tiehm | 2023 | variety | subsp. utahense | ≡ hom. |
| Gilia filifolia var. diffusa A.Gray | 1870 | variety | E. diffusum | ≡ hom. |
| Hugelia diffusa (A.Gray) Jeps. | 1943 | species | E. diffusum | ≡ hom. |
| Hugelia virgata var. pygmaea Jeps. | 1925 | variety | subsp. diffusum | = het. |
| Navarretia filifolia var. diffusa (A.Gray) Brand | 1907 | variety | E. diffusum | ≡ hom. |
| Welwitschia diffusa (A.Gray) Rydb. | 1917 | species | E. diffusum | ≡ hom. |
| Welwitschia filifolia var. diffusa (A.Gray) Tidestr. | 1935 | variety | E. diffusum | ≡ hom. |
| Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym ; = heterotypic synonym | ||||
References
edit- ↑ NatureServe (1 May 2026). "Eriastrum diffusum". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 POWO (2026). "Eriastrum diffusum (A.Gray) H.Mason". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- 1 2 POWO (2026). "Eriastrum diffusum subsp. coachellae S.J.De Groot". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- 1 2 POWO (2026). "Eriastrum diffusum subsp. diffusum". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
- 1 2 POWO (2026). "Eriastrum diffusum subsp. utahense S.J.De Groot". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
External links
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