Baileya (plant)

Baileya (the desert marigolds) is a genus of plants in the aster family Asteraceae. All are native to the southwestern United States and to Mexico.[1][2][2]

Desert marigolds
Baileya multiradiata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Asteroideae
Tribe:	Helenieae
Genus:	Baileya Harvey & A.Gray ex Torrey, 1848
Type species
Baileya multiradiata Harvey & A.Gray ex Torrey, 1848

They are typically annual, though B. multiradiata may be perennial. The leaves, which may range from being entire to deeply lobed, mostly occur in a basal cluster. From this arises several flower stems, up to 18 inches (50 cm) in height, usually carrying a single yellow radiate flower each, although B. pauciradiata may have 2-3 flowers on a stem.[3]

Desert marigolds typically have their main bloom in the spring, extending through July. Summer thunderstorms may enable a second bloom in October and even into November.[4]

Baileya species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Schinia miniana (which feeds exclusively on the genus) and Schinia pallicincta (which feeds exclusively on B. pauciradiata).

The genus is named after US microscopist and West Point professor Jacob Whitman Bailey (1811–1857), known for his studies of diatoms .[3]

Species

As of July 2020 there are three accepted species in Baileya:[5][6][7][8]

Binomial Name	Authority	Common Name	Synonyms	Distribution
Baileya multiradiata	Harv. & A.Gray ex Torr. (1848)[9]	Desert Marigold	Baileya australis Rydb. (1914) Baileya multiradiata var. multiradiata Baileya multiradiata var. nudicaulis A.Gray Baileya multiradiata var. thurberi (Rydb.) Kittell Baileya pleniradiata var. multiradiata Kearney Baileya thurberi Rydb.	California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, southwestern Utah, western Texas, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Aguascalientes
Baileya pauciradiata	Harvey & A.Gray (1849)[10]	Laxflower, Colorado Desert Marigold	no synonyms	southeastern California, western Arizona, southwestern Utah, Sonora, Baja California
Baileya pleniradiata	Harv. & A.Gray ex Harv. & A.Gray (1898)	Woolly Desert Marigold	Baileya multiradiata var. perennis (A.Nelson) Kittell Baileya multiradiata var. pleniradiata (Harv. & A.Gray ex A.Gray) Coville Baileya nervosa M.E.Jones Baileya perennis (A.Nelson) Rydb. Baileya pleniradiata var. perennis A.Nelson Baileya pleniradiata var. pleniradiata Baileya pleniradiata var. thurberi Rydb.	California, southern Nevada, Arizona, southwestern Utah, Chihuahua, Sonora, Baja California

References

1. Emory, William Hemsley. 1848. Notes of a military reconnoissance, from Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri, to San Diego, in California, including part of the Arkansas, Del Norte, and Gila rivers 144
2. Tropicos, Baileya Harv. & A. Gray ex Torr.
3. Flora of North America, Baileya Harvey & A. Gray ex Torrey in W. H. Emory
4. Jepson Manual Treatment
5. Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
6. The Plant List, search for Baileya
7. Biota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution maps
8. Turner, B. L. 2013. The comps of Mexico. A systematic account of the family Asteraceae (chapter 11: tribe Helenieae). Phytologia Mem. 16: 1–100
9. Harvey, William Henry; Gray, Asa (1848). Notes of a Military Reconnoissance, from Fort Leavenworth, in Missouri, to San Diego, in California, including Part of Arkansas, de Norte, and Gila Rivers. By Lieut. Col. W. H. Emory. Made in 1846-7, with the Advance Guard of the Army of the West. Washington, D.C. Washington: Wendell and Van Benthuysen, printers. p. 144.
10. Harvey, William Henry; Gray, Asa (1849). Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 4. Boston: The Academy. p. 105.

External links

• USDA Plants Profile