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• All other flowering non-woody plants
• All other herbaceous, flowering dicots
• Hudsonia tomentosa

Hudsonia tomentosa — sand false heather, woolly beach-heather

Facts

This mat-forming low shrub of sand dunes and other barren coastal and interior places, is distinguished from its close relative pine-barren false heather (Hudsonia ericoides) by its wider and much hairier leaves. It has many tiny, bright yellow flowers.

Habitat

Dunes, grassland, shores of rivers or lakes

Characteristics

• Clonal plantlets

  Bulbils

  the plant does not appear to have bulbils

  Bulblets replace flowers

  there are no bulblets where the flowers are located

• Flowers

  Anther attachment

  the anther is attached by its base to the filament

  Anther color

  the anthers show no hint of a pink, reddish or purplish tint

  Anther opening

  the anthers have narrow slits or furrows that run lengthwise along the anthers

  Anther spurs

  the anthers do not have spurs on them

  Calyx symmetry

  • there are two or more ways to evenly divide the calyx (the calyx is radially symmetrical)
  • there is only one way to evenly divide the calyx (the calyx is bilaterally symmetrical)

  Carpel hairs

  • the carpels have no hairs
  • the carpels have thick, woolly hairs

  Carpels fused

  the carpels are fused to one another

  Cleistogamous flowers

  there are no cleistogamous flowers on the plan

  Corolla morphology

  NA

  Corolla palate

  no

  Corona lobe length

  0 mm

  Epicalyx

  the flower does not have an epicalyx

  Epicalyx number of parts

  0

  Flower appearance

  • NA
  • the flowers appear after the leaves have appeared

  Flower description

  the flower has a superior ovary, and lacks a hypanthium

  Flower number

  At least 1

  Flower orientation

  the flower points upwards or is angled outwards

  Flower petal color

  • orange
  • yellow

  Flower reproductive parts

  the flower has both pollen- and seed-producing parts

  Flower symmetry

  there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)

  Flowers sunken into stem

  no

  Form of style

  • the style is knob-like at the tip, and unbranched
  • the style is narrow at the tip and unbranched

  Fringed petal edges

  • the petals are fringed
  • the petals are not fringed

  Fused stamen clusters

  NA

  Fusion of sepals and petals

  both the petals and sepals are separate and not fused

  Hairs on flower stalk

  the flower stalk has hairs on it

  Horns in hoods (Asclepias)

  NA

  Hypanthium

  the flower does not have a hypanthium

  Hypanthium length

  0 mm

  Inflorescence one-sided

  the flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches, or occur singly, or in several ranks

  Inner tepals (Rumex)

  NA

  Length of flower stalk

  At least 0 mm

  Length of peduncle

  At least 0 mm

  Marks on petals

  there are no noticeable marks on the petals

  Nectar spur

  the flower has no nectar spurs

  Number of branches in umbel

  0

  Number of carpels

  1

  Number of pistils

  1

  Number of sepals, petals or tepals

  there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower

  Number of styles

  1

  Ovary position

  the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment

  Perianth shape

  the perianth is rotate (platter-shaped, the corolla flattened, circular, with nearly horizontally spreading lobes)

  Petal and sepal arrangement

  the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures

  Petal and sepal colors

  • orange
  • yellow

  Petal appearance

  the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)

  Petal base

  the petal narrows gradually or does not narrow at the base

  Petal folding in bud

  the petals in bud are rolled like an umbrella, each petal having one edge tucked inside and the other edge exposed (convolute)

  Petal folds or pleats

  the petals of the flower do not have folds or plaits

  Petal hairs (Viola)

  NA

  Petal length relative to sepals

  the petals are longer than the sepals

  Petal number

  5

  Petal shape

  • the petal outline is oblong (rectangular, but with rounded ends)
  • the petal outline is obovate (roughly egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)

  Petal tip shape

  • the petal tip is acute (sharply pointed)
  • the petal tip is lobed or fringed
  • the petal tip is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
  • the petal tip is rounded

  Petal tips (Cuscuta)

  NA

  Raceme attachment (Veronica)

  NA

  Reproductive system

  all the flowers have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)

  Scales inside corolla

  no

  Sepal and petal color

  the sepals are different from the petals

  Sepal appearance

  the sepals are green or brown, and leaf-like in texture

  Sepal appendages

  the sepals do not have appendages on them

  Sepal appendages (Oenothera)

  NA

  Sepal auricles

  the sepals have no auricles

  Sepal color

  green to brown

  Sepal length

  2.5–3 mm

  Sepal number

  5

  Sepal orientation

  the sepals are slightly curved outwards from the corolla

  Sepal relative length

  NA

  Sepal texture

  the sepals are either very thin but flexible, like a membrane, or they are leaf-like in texture

  Sepal tip shape

  • the sepal tip is acuminate (tapers to a very narrow point)
  • the sepal tip is acute (is sharply pointed)
  • the sepal tip is notched
  • the sepal tip is obtuse (is bluntly pointed)

  Sepal uniformity

  one or more of the sepals is much narrower or shorter than the others

  Sepals fused only to sepals

  • the sepals are fused to each other (not other flower parts), at least near their bases
  • the sepals are separate from one another

  Stamen appendages

  stamen appendages are absent

  Stamen attachment

  • the stamens are not attached to the petals or tepals
  • the stamens are not attached to the petals or tepals

  Stamen morphology

  the stamens within a cycle differ in length or width

  Stamen number

  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13 or more
  • 8
  • 9

  Stamen relative length

  anything

  Stamens fused

  the stamens are not attached to one another

  Stigma position

  the stigmas are positioned at the tip of the style

  Style petal-like

  the styles are not petal-like

  Style relative length

  NA

  Umbel flower reproductive parts

  NA

  Upper lip of bilabiate corolla

  NA

• Fruits or seeds

  Achene relative orientation

  NA

  Achene shape

  NA

  Achene surface (Polygonum)

  NA

  Achene type

  NA

  Berry color

  NA

  Capsule color (Viola)

  NA

  Capsule ribs

  the capsule has no prominent ribs or wings

  Capsule splitting

  the capsule splits by three main valves, teeth or pores

  Fruit (pyxis) dehiscence

  NA

  Fruit cross-section

  the fruit is round in cross-section

  Fruit features (Brassicaceae)

  NA

  Fruit length relative to sepals

  the fruit is shorter than its associated sepals

  Fruit locules

  one

  Fruit shape

  • the fruit is ovoid (egg-shaped)
  • the fruit is roughly cylindrical (with parallel sides that do not taper, and flat across the top and bottom)

  Fruit stalk orientation

  the fruits point upward or spread or curve outward

  Fruit type (general)

  the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe

  Fruit type (specific)

  the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)

  Hairs on fruit

  • the fruits are not hairy
  • the fruits have hairs on them

  Legumes (Fabaceae)

  NA

  Mericarp length

  0 mm

  Mericarp segment shape (Desmodium)

  NA

  Other markings on berry

  NA

  Ovary stipe

  the ovary or fruit does not have a stipe

  Ovary stipe length

  0 mm

  Placenta arrangement

  the plant has parietal placentation, where ovules develop on the wall or slight outgrowths of the wall forming broken partitions within a compound ovary

  Rows of seeds in fruit (Brassicaceae)

  NA

  Schizocarpic fruit compression

  NA

  Schizocarpic fruit segments

  0

  Seed length

  0.6–0.7 mm

  Seed number

  1–3

  Seeds comose

  no hairs

  Septum in fruit (Brassicaceae)

  NA

  Wings on fruit

  the fruit does not have wings on it

  prickles on fruits

  the fruits do not have thorn-like defensive structures

• Glands or sap

  Glands on leaf blade

  the leaf blades do not have glandular dots or scales

  Sap

  the sap is clear and watery

  Sap color

  the sap is clear

• Growth form

  Growth form

  • the plant is a subshrub (small shrub with partially herbaceous stems)
  • the plant is an herb (it has self-supporting stems)

  Horizontal rooting stem

  the plant does not have stolons

  Lifespan

  the plant lives more than two years

  Parasitism

  the plant is not parasitic

  Plant color

  the leaves or young stems of the plant are green

  Plants darken when dry

  no

  Spines on plant

  the plant has no spines

• Leaves

  Bracteole edges

  • NA
  • the bracteole margins are entire (without teeth, lobes or hairs)

  Bracteole number (Apiaceae)

  0

  Bracts in plantain (Plantago)

  NA

  Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)

  0 mm

  Final leaf segment length to width ratio (compound lvs only)

  0

  Final leaf segment width (compound lvs only)

  0 mm

  Floral bracts

  • the flower does not have bracts
  • the flower has one or more bracts associated with it

  Hairs on leaf stalk

  NA

  Hairs on underside of leaf

  the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy

  Hairs on upper side of leaf

  the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy

  Hooked hairs on underside of leaf

  no

  Inflated hairs on leaf

  the leaf blade does not have inflated hairs on it

  Leaf arrangement

  alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem

  Leaf blade base

  the leaf has no stalk

  Leaf blade base shape

  the base of the leaf blade is truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)

  Leaf blade base symmetry

  the leaf blade base is symmetrical

  Leaf blade bloom

  the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom

  Leaf blade edges

  the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)

  Leaf blade hairs

  the leaf blade has tangled or woolly-looking hairs

  Leaf blade length

  1–3 mm

  Leaf blade shape

  • the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
  • the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
  • the leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides

  Leaf blade surface colors

  the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color

  Leaf duration

  the leaves remain green all winter

  Leaf form

  • the leaves are green, with an expanded blade and a leaf-like texture
  • the leaves are small and thin and lack leaf stalks

  Leaf hair orientation

  the hairs are standing up straight or curved in different directions

  Leaf sheath length

  0 mm

  Leaf spines

  there are no spines on the leaf edges

  Leaf stalk

  the leaves have no leaf stalks, but attach directly to the stem

  Leaf stalk attachment to leaf

  NA

  Leaf stalk base

  NA

  Leaf stalk length

  0 mm

  Leaf teeth and lobes

  the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)

  Leaf type

  the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)

  Leaf types

  • NA
  • There is a gradual change in appearance of the leaves from the base (or near the base) of the plant to those from further up on the stem, with leaves progressively changing as one moves higher on the stem (often becoming shorter, or less toothed/lobed, and/or with shorter petioles).

  Leaf variation

  the leaves are nearly similar in size, prominence of teeth, and length of stalks throughout the stem

  Leaflet number

  0

  Leaflet petiolules

  NA

  Leaves per node

  there is one leaf per node along the stem

  Pinnately compound leaf type

  NA

  Specific leaf type

  the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)

  Stipels

  NA

  Stipule edges

  NA

  Stipule features

  NA

  Stipule fused to leaf stalk

  NA

  Stipule length

  0 mm

  Stipule shape

  NA

  Stipules

  there are no stipules on the plant

  Teeth per side of leaf blade

  0

• Place

  Habitat

  • terrestrial
  • wetlands

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  • dunes
  • grasslands
  • shores of rivers or lakes

• Stem, shoot, branch

  Branched tendrils

  NA

  Direction of stem hairs

  the hairs point mostly upwards to outwards

  Flowering stem cross-section

  the flowering stem is circular, or with lots of small angles so that it is roughly circular

  Hair between stem nodes

  the stem has hairs between the nodes

  Hairs between stem nodes

  at least some of the hairs on the stem are tangled, matted or woolly

  Hooked hairs on stem between nodes

  no

  Leaves on stem

  there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem

  Plant height

  10–22 cm

  Stem bloom

  there is no powdery or waxy film on the stem

  Stem hair distribution

  the hairs on the stem are distributed more of less uniformly

  Stem nodes swollen

  the stem is not swollen at the nodes

  Stem orientation

  • the stems are upright or angled outwards
  • the stems trail at the base, but may turn upwards at the tips

  Stem spacing

  • the plant is growing in tufts, or compact clusters with closely spaced stems, or it is densely matted together in clumps, cushionlike
  • the plant is solitary, or a few plants are growing together

  Stem succulence

  the stems are not succulent

  Tendril origin

  NA

  Tendrils

  the plant does not have tendrils

  Wings on stem

  the stem does not have wings on it

Wetland status

Not classified

New England distribution and conservation status

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae