''Arnica chamissonis'', the Chamisso arnica, is a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It is very similar to '' Arnica montana''. ''Arnica chamissonis'' is native to North America and naturalized in parts of Europe while ''A. montana'' is indigenous to Europe.

Distribution and habitat

''Arnica chamissonis'' is native to western North America, including Alaska, and most of Canada including Yukon and

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

. ''Arnica chamissonis'' is perennial. It has a temperature minimum of . They are adapted to both coarse and medium textured soils with a pH between 6.0–7.2. Since this plant uses a lot of moisture, it has a precipitation requirement of between . It generally prefers moist meadows and conifer forests and often grows in montane to

subalpine zone Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

s, . Seeds are easily available and the plant can be grown in a home garden. It prefers full sun exposure and an average soil temperature of .

Morphology

''Arnica chamissonis'' has yellow flowers with green medium textured foliage. The leaves of the ''Arnica chamissonis'' are grouped in 4–10 pairs. It produces brown seeds and has an active growth period of the spring and summer. It has rhizomatous growth and grows at a moderate rate. Rhizomatous plants have an underground stem with small fiber-like adventitious roots. ''A. chamissonis'' has a mature height of roughly .

Reproduction and growth

''Arnica chamissonis'' has an active bloom period throughout the summer. There are approximately 400,000 seeds per pound. These individuals have a medium seedling vigor and a moderate vegetative spread rate. Seedling vigor refers to "the expected seedling survival percentage of the plant compared to other species with the same growth habit." A vegetative spread rate refers to how quickly a plant can spread through a given area. In general, ''A. chamissonis'' can be grown in a container, by using seeds or sprigs. Both ''A. montana'' and ''A. chamissonis'' contain the toxin helenalin. The species is named for German poet and botanist Adelbert von Chamisso, 1781–1838.Lessing, Christian Friedrich 1831. Linnaea 6(2): 238–239
in Latin

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2863308 chamissonis Flora of Canada Flora of the Western United States Flora of California Flora of the Rocky Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Plants described in 1831 Adelbert von Chamisso Flora without expected TNC conservation status