Hypochaeris microcephala |
Hypochaeris |
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smallhead cat's ear |
cat's-ear, swine's succory |
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Habit | Annuals, biennials, or perennials, 10–60 cm; taprooted and with caudices. | |||||||||||||
Stems | 1–15, erect, branched or unbranched, glabrate or coarsely hirsute. |
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Leaves | basal or basal and proximally cauline; petiolate or sessile; blades oblanceolate to oblong or elliptic, margins entire or dentate to pinnately lobed (faces glabrous or hirsute). |
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Peduncles | slightly inflated distally, minutely bracteate. |
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Involucres | cylindric or campanulate, 5–20 mm diam. (12–25 mm in fruit). |
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Receptacles | flat, slightly pitted, paleate; paleae linear to subulate, scarious. |
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Florets | 20–100+; corollas usually yellow or orange, sometimes grayish green or reddish abaxially, rarely white, (not deliquescent). |
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Phyllaries | 20–30 in 3–4 series, unequal, linear-lanceolate, glabrous, glabrate, or coarsely hirsute. |
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Calyculi | 0 (or indistinguishable from phyllaries). |
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Heads | borne singly or in loose, cymiform, paniculiform, or corymbiform arrays. |
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Cypselae | monomorphic (all beaked) or dimorphic (outer truncate, inner beaked), usually brown to golden, bodies ellipsoid or fusiform, ribs 4–5 or 10, faces ± muricate, otherwise glabrous; pappi persistent, of 40–60+, white to tan bristles in 1 (all plumose) or in 2 series (outer barbellate, shorter than plumose inner). |
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x | = 4, 5. |
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Hypochaeris microcephala |
Hypochaeris |
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Distribution |
LA; OK; TX; South America
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South America; s Europe; n Africa; Asia [Introduced in North America] |
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (1 in the flora). Hypochaeris microcephala is distinguished by the perennial habit, presence of cauline leaves, relatively small heads, and white corollas. It is most similar to H. chillensis; it usually has smaller heads with fewer florets and glabrous phyllaries. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Species 60+ (4 in the flora). Hypochaeris is similar to and closely related to Leontodon, from which it is distinguished mainly by its paleate receptacles and unequal phyllaries. Plumose pappus bristles are characteristic of both Hypochaeris and Leontodon. Molecular studies indicate the South American species of Hypochaeris are a monophyletic group derived from European stock that has undergone a recent and rapid radiation in the New World (R. Samuel et al. 2003). Two South American species are found as weeds in the flora area. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 19, p. 299. | FNA vol. 19, p. 297. | ||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Hypochaeris | Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae | ||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||||||
Synonyms | Achyrophorus microcephalus | |||||||||||||
Name authority | (Schultz-Bipontinus) Cabrera: Notas Mus. La Plata, Bot. 2: 200. (1937) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 810. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 352. (1754) | ||||||||||||
Web links |