Flora of North America species comparison

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Achyrachaena

Achyrachaena mollis

blow-wives

blow-wives
Habit Annuals, 4–62 cm.
Stems

erect, branched distally.

Leaves

mostly cauline;

proximal opposite, distal alternate; ± sessile;

blades linear, margins entire or toothed, faces hirsute or villous and (distal leaves) sparsely glandular-pubescent.

blades 2–15 cm × 1–7+ mm.
Involucres

± campanulate to cylindric or ellipsoid, 3–12+ mm diam.

Receptacles

flat to convex (setulose), paleate (paleae falling, in 1 series between rays and disc, distinct).

Ray florets/Ray corollas

3–8, pistillate, fertile;

corollas yellow, turning reddish (lobes ± parallel).

inconspicuous, laminae usually erect, sometimes spreading, 4–7 mm.
Disc florets/Disc corollas

4–35, bisexual and fertile;

corollas yellow to reddish, tubes ± equaling narrowly funnelform throats, lobes 5, lance-deltate (anthers ± dark purple; styles glabrous proximal to branches).

6–10 mm.
Phyllaries

3–8 in 1 series (± lance-linear, herbaceous, each fully enveloping a ray ovary, abaxially hirsute or villous and sparsely glandular-pubescent or eglandular).

10–20 mm.
Heads

radiate, borne singly or in loose, ± corymbiform arrays.

Cypselae

black, 4.5–9 mm;

pappi (disc) of 5 outer scales 3–9 mm plus 5 inner scales 6–13 mm.
Disc cypselae

(brown to black) similar to rays (± scabrous);

pappi of 10 white, oblong scales (apices obtuse).

Ray cypselae

(black) obcompressed, clavate (10-ribbed, straight, basal attachments centered, apices beakless, faces glabrous or ± scabrous);

pappi 0.

Peduncular

bracts: pit-glands, tack-glands, and/or spines 0 at tips.

x

= 8.

2n

= 16.

Achyrachaena

Achyrachaena mollis
Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Grassy, often wet sites, usually with clay-rich soils
Elevation 0–900 m (0–3000 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
w North America; nw Mexico
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species 1.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Achyrachaena mollis grows in low-elevation grasslands, savannas, and open woodlands throughout the California Floristic Province and occurs with vernal tarweeds of the genus Layia. During flowering, pappus scales of each disc floret form cylinders (imparting a honeycomb-like appearance to apices of heads); they are widely spread in fruiting heads. The species is self-compatible and is not known to hybridize with other tarweeds.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 258. Authors: Bruce G. Baldwin, John L. Strother. FNA vol. 21, p. 259.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Madiinae Asteraceae > tribe Heliantheae > subtribe Madiinae > Achyrachaena
Subordinate taxa
A. mollis
Name authority Schauer: Index Seminum (Bratislave) 1837: [3]. (1837) Schauer: Index Seminum (Bratislava) 1837: [3]. (1837)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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