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common spring-gold, gold-star, spring-gold

crocidium, gold star, spring-gold

Habit Annuals, (2–)4–12(–30) cm (usually glabrous but for axillary tomentum).
Stems

usually 1, erect, simple or branched near bases.

Leaves

blades: basal 10–25+ × 3–8(–12+) mm, entire or toothed;

cauline 3–12 × 1–4 mm, mostly entire.

(± fleshy) basal and cauline; alternate; petiolate (basal) or sessile;

blades palmately nerved, spatulate or oblanceolate (basal) to lanceolate or linear, margins toothed or entire, faces glabrous or glabrate.

Involucres

3–5(–7+) mm.

± hemispheric, 3–6+ mm diam.

Receptacles

dome-shaped to conic (heights equaling or greater than diameters), smooth, epaleate.

Ray florets

corolla tubes 1–1.5 mm, laminae oblong to elliptic, 3–6(–10) mm.

5–13+, pistillate and fertile or neuter;

corollas yellow (laminae conspicuous).

Disc florets

corolla tubes 0.7–1.5 mm, throats 0.5–1.1 mm, lobes 0.5–0.9 mm.

12–60(–120+), bisexual, fertile;

corollas yellow, tubes ± cylindric, longer than or equaling campanulate to cylindric throats, lobes 5, erect to spreading, deltate to lanceolate;

style branches stigmatic in 2 lines, apices truncate-penicillate.

Phyllaries

(veiny, often purple-tipped, each subtending a ray floret) persistent, 5–13+ in 1(–2) series, erect (reflexed in fruit), basally connate, elliptic to ovate, subequal, margins herbaceous to membranous.

Calyculi

0.

Heads

radiate, borne singly.

Cypselae

1.5–2.5 mm;

pappi 2–4 mm.

(stramineous to reddish brown) ± ellipsoid to fusiform, 5(–6)-nerved, ± papillate-hairy between nerves (papillae mucilaginous when wetted);

pappi fragile or readily falling, usually of 20–40, white, barbellulate bristles (in 1 series), sometimes 0 on ray cypselae.

x

= 9.

2n

= 18.

Crocidium multicaule

Crocidium

Phenology Flowering Feb–Jun.
Habitat Grassy, mossy, or bare, often disturbed, sometimes wet sites in chaparral, oak forests, conifer forests, and sagebrush scrub
Elevation 90–1500 m (300–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
w North America
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species 1.

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

Source FNA vol. 20, p. 641. FNA vol. 20, p. 641. Author: John L. Strother.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae > Crocidium Asteraceae > tribe Senecioneae
Subordinate taxa
C. multicaule
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 335, plate 118. (1834) Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 335, plate 118. (1834)
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