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Shrubby Mayweed

Oncosiphon sp.

Photo by MarkCoryell
Published on Project Noah
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34.3071, -111.094

Field Notes

Description:

Bright green plant with yellow button like flowers about 3/4 inch in diameter. The leaves were feathery and pleasantly fragrant like a strong mint. There were several growing in the rocks along the banks of the Gila River at the east end of Estrella Mountain Regional Park on the opposite side of Baseline Road and the developed portion of the park.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (10)

It's similar. If you don't feel certain, you can always just put Oncosiphon sp.
I think I've found out what this is: Oncosiphon suffruticosum. The photo at this website has the best likeness to what I saw along the Gila River. Ironically enough this website appears to be from South Africa: http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantnop/oncosiphsuff.htm
Bummer! The only other one that's similar that I know of is the genus Oncosiphon. It's not native to your or my area but it's been introduced to both. It's worth a look I think :)
I looked at the Wikipedia reference for Matricaria sp. and found one that looks close - Matricaria discoidea. According to Wikipedia it is found in Arizona. Wikipedia states that it is also found in disturbed areas. The spot where I found it was along a rocky shoreline of the Gila River where the water level changes. There is also some stream restoration going on nearby. The only difference is that the yellow flower on top on the one I saw doesn't have the wide fleshy stem underneath. Using Plants of Arizona, which I've found to be reasonably reliable, I couldn't find any listings in the index for Chamomile, Matricaria, or Lamiaceae.
I agree with Viv, this looks and sounds (location and smell) like Matricaria sp which is sometimes called Wild Chamomile. Check out the Wikipedia link and see what you think. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matricaria
hmmmm... sounds like this one belongs in the lamiaceae family... hope someone can ID it soon... :)
How about Wild Chamomile or Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
I'll be interested to see if you get an ID for the plant. The fragrance sounds lovely!
Thanks very much, Bernadette. I looked in Plants of Arizona by Anne Orple Epple and it lists two species of Artemesia in Arizona: filifolia (Sand Sagebrush) and franseroides (Ragweed Sagebrush). From the color pictures the shape and the size don't quite match what I saw. The plants I saw were about 2.5 - 3.0 feet in diameter and at the most 2.5 feet tall. It might be a similar genus or something a exotic not listed in the Plants of Arizona. When you touch the plants you get a strong scent on your hands. It was something like what you'd get from a Sage but seemed more powerful and almost like licorice.
Perhaps a type of wormwood, Artemisia sp? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_(plant)

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Photographed
PublishedMarch 18, 2012

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