#Brickellia macranthra

[stopandlook]

Scientific Name: Brickellia eupatorioides or Brickellia macranthra Common Name(s): False boneset or Texas false boneset Family: Asteraceae (aster) Life Cycle: Perennial Leaf Retention: Deciduous Habit: Forb USDA L48 Native Status: Native Location: Plano, Texas Season(s): Fall

Brickellia eupatorioides previously comprised a number of sub-taxa that were reclassified as full species in a 2022 paper (PDF). Among these, only B. eupatorioides (sensu stricto) and and the new species B. macranthra (known as B. eupatorioides var. texana before) are found in the county where Plano is located. As outlined in the paper, examining the phyllaries and counting the florets are how to distinguish the two from each other, but I’m not good enough to see those differences after the plant has gone to seed. As the name suggests, Texas false boneset (B. macranthra) is endemic mostly to Texas and Oklahoma, whereas false boneset (B. eupatorioides) can be found throughout the eastern half of the United States.