Accession Count: 0
Common Name:
mariola
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Botanical Name:
Parthenium incanum
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
A compact deciduous sub-shrub or forb growing 0.3 – 1.0 m (1-3ft) tall and wide. Stems have an intricate branching pattern with a whitish color due to the cotton-like pubescence covering them (2). Leaves are arranged alternately on the stems, and leaf blades are oval-elliptic to obovate and 15-25mm long and 6-15mm wide (3). They are pinnattifid with 5-7-lobes, margins are entire, and ab- and adaxial surfaces are tomentose, dotted with glands, and grey-green to white in color (1, 3). Flowers appear in late Spring and fore-summer and bloom into Fall (1, 2). Flowers are 0.5cm (¼”) wide , white in color, include ray and disk flowers, which are in arranged in a large, 2-3” wide flat-topped inflorescence like a corymb at the branch terminus (1, 2). Flowers are described as daisy-like but can appear more like small cauliflowers (3). The fruit is often described incorrectly as an achene, when it is actually a cypsela (pl. cypselae) (2).
Compound:
par inc
Geographic Origin:
Western US, Northern Mexico
Ecozone Origin:
Nearctic
Biome Origin:
Desert
Natural History:
Mariola grows in openings in the desert and semi-desert plant communities among desert scrub, desert grasslands, and dry gravelly slopes and planes in the desert southwest from Utah, Nevada and Arizona to New Mexico, Texas and into Mexico. It is typically found at elevations from 1000-2000m (2500-6000ft) (1,3).
Cultivation Notes:
Mariola grows in full sun, and tolerates dry, caliche soils (2).
Ethnobotany:
Contains some rubber compounds. Fragrant due to production of essential oils (2).
Height:
0 - 5 feet
Width:
0 - 5 feet
Growth Rate:
Fast Growing
Grow Season:
Spring
Flower Season:
Summer
Color:
White
Function:
Screen
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Hardy:
Hardy
Water Use:
Low water Use
