''Helichrysum thianschanicum'' is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
. It is commonly known as silver spike or icicle plant.
[ It is part of a large ]genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of over 500 species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
.
Description
''Helichrysum hianschanicum'' is a small perennial shrub that grows tall and wide. It resembles a lavender
''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...
plant with basal branching and erect stems and is covered with long linear leaves that are covered with white pubescence
Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy. I ...
. Yellow clusters of flowers are produced at the ends of stems during the summer. Up to 30 yellow, floret
This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...
s are in each cluster. In its native habitat, ''H. thianschanicum'' develops a finger-sized rhizome.[
]
Taxonomy
''Helichrysum thianschanicum'' was first described in 1880 by Eduard August von Regel
Eduard August von Regel (sometimes Edward von Regel or Edward de Regel or Édouard von Regel), Russian: Эдуард Август Фон Регель; (born 13 August 1815 in Gotha; died 15 April 1892 in St. Petersburg) was a German horticultura ...
.[ The specific epithet refers to the ]Tian Shan
The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘ ...
mountain range of Central Asia.
Distribution
''Helichrysum thianschanicum'' grows on gravelly slopes and sand dunes in its native range of western China (Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
) and adjacent Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.[
]
Uses
Cultivars
''Helichrysum thianschanicum'' 'Icicles' is a cultivar commonly grown in the United States for its foliage. During the summer, yellow flowers are produced at the ends of the stems and are composed of up to 30 florets. They are not spectacular but do accent the gray-white foliage. ''H. thianschanicum'' is a perennial that originates from a mountain range with hot dry summers and cold dry winters and is difficult to grow in wetter climates. 'Icicles' is usually grown as an annual plant in gardens. It seems resistant to most insect problems.[
]
References
* Regel, Eduard August von. ''Trudy Imperatorskago S.-Peterburgskago Botaničeskago Sada'' 6(2): 307. 1880.
External links
Silver Spike - Plant of the Week
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4085817
thianschanicum
Plants described in 1880
Shrubs