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potato dwarfdandelion, potato dwarfdandelion or dandelion, tuber dandelion, tuber dwarfdandelion

dwarf dandelion

Habit Perennials, 10–50 cm; rhizomes relatively slender, fibrous-rooted, tubers overwintering, globose, 5–15 mm diam., caudices fibrous-rooted. Annuals or perennials, 3–75 cm; taprooted, fibrous-rooted, or (in K. dandelion) with rhizomes bearing globose tubers.
Stems

scapiform, erect, leafless and ebracteate, glabrous or minutely glandular-villous especially proximal to heads.

1–50+, usually erect, rarely decumbent, scapiform or branched distally, glabrous or sparingly villous (proximally), glandular-villous (especially distally).

Leaves

basal;

petioles usually broadly or narrowly winged;

blades linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 6–24 cm, margins entire or remotely toothed to pinnately lobed, lobes usually entire and acute, apices acute to obtuse, faces usually glabrous, sometimes sparingly villous (glandular or eglandular, often glaucous).

mostly basal, sometimes cauline; petiolate (petioles often winged);

blades linear to lanceolate, oblanceolate, or spatulate, margins entire, denticulate, or irregularly pinnately lobed, apices acute to obtuse (faces glabrous or glandular-villous, usually glaucous in K. dandelion and K. biflora);

distal cauline usually slightly reduced to bractlike.

Peduncles

from basal rosettes.

not distally inflated, ebracteate (from rosettes and from axils of cauline leaves or bracts).

Involucres

10–15 mm.

turbinate to campanulate, 2–12 mm diam.

Receptacles

flat or low-convex, pitted, glabrous, epaleate.

Florets

25–34;

corollas yellow to yellow-orange, abaxially often purplish-tinged, 15–25 mm.

5–60;

corollas yellow to orange (equaling or surpassing phyllaries).

Phyllaries

12–16, reflexed in fruit, linear-lanceolate, midveins obscure, apices acute.

(4–)5–18 in 1–2 series, (sometimes reflexed in fruit) linear-lanceolate to ovate, equal, herbaceous, apices acute (faces glabrous).

Calyculi

0.

Heads

borne singly.

borne singly.

Cypselae

reddish brown, columnar, 2.5 mm, 10–15-ribbed;

pappi of ca. 10, outer scales 0.5–1 mm plus 25–45, barbellulate inner bristles 5–8 mm.

brown or reddish brown, columnar, obconic, barrel-shaped, or fusiform, not beaked, nerves or ribs 10–20, glabrous;

pappi 0, or persistent, often fragile, usually in 2 series, distinct, outer of 5+, yellowish or brownish scales, inner of 5–45, barbellulate bristles (pappi 0 in K. cespitosa, 0 or 1 series of tiny scales in K. wrightii).

x

= (4) 5 (6, 9).

2n

= 60.

Krigia dandelion

Krigia

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Sandy or clay-loam soils, open mixed mesophytic and oak-hickory woods, fields, pastures, roadsides
Elevation 10–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
North America; ne Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Krigia dandelion is known from the Eastern deciduous forest biome and tallgrass prairies. It is unique in propagating extensively by means of tubers. These were well described by T. Holm (1891). All chromosome counts to date have shown 2n = 60, the duodecaploid number based on x = 5.

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

Species 7 (7 in the flora).

Krigia is diverse and limited to North America. On molecular evidence, it stands apart from other clades of Cichorieae and is best placed as a monotypic subtribe (J. Lee et al. 2003; Lee and B. G. Baldwin 2004). Early studies classified the pappose and epappose species as different genera. A unified view of the genus was taken by L. H. Shinners (1947), and this has been supported by recent morphologic and molecular studies (K. J. Kim and T. J. Mabry 1991; Kim and B. L. Turner 1992; Kim et al. 1992b, 1992c; Kim and R. K. Jansen 1994). The most common base number is x = 5, with lower and higher numbers having arisen through dysploidy, autoploidy, and both ancient and recent alloploidy (K. L. Chambers 1965, 2004; A. S. Tomb et al. 1978; C. C. Chinnappa 1981; Kim and Turner).

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

Key
1. Perennials; involucres 7–15 mm; phyllaries reflexed in fruit; pappus bristles 14–45
→ 2
1. Annuals; involucres 2–9 mm; phyllaries usually erect in fruit (reflexed in K. virginica); pappus bristles (1–)4–5, or pappi 0
→ 4
2. Stems scapiform, never leafy or bracteate; peduncles from basal rosettes (1–5+ per plant); tubers (on rhizomes) globose
K. dandelion
2. Stems leafy or bracteate; peduncles from axils of cauline leaves and bracts (first-formed peduncle sometimes arising basally in K. montana); tubers none
→ 3
3. Peduncles usually in groups of 2–6 from axils of distal cauline, auriculate, clasping bracts (on scapiform stems arising from basal rosettes); corollas orange or yellow- orange (leaves usually glaucous)
K. biflora
3. Peduncles usually arising on leafy branches axillary to well-developed cauline leaves; corollas yellow
K. montana
4. Phyllaries reflexed in fruit; pappus bristles surpassing scales by 3+ mm
K. virginica
4. Phyllaries erect in fruit; pappus bristles 0 or surpassing scales by no more than 2 mm
→ 5
5. Phyllary midveins evident, not prominent nor forming curved keels; cypselae fusiform, broadest beyond middles (gradually tapering distally), apical areas ± equal to basal areoles; pappi 0
K. cespitosa
5. Phyllary midveins becoming prominent, curving inward at bases to form keels; cypselae obconic to broadly columnar or barrel-shaped, broadest at or just proximal to apices, apical areas broader than basal areoles; pappi 0, or of scales and bristles.
→ 6
6. Peduncles from rosettes; cypselae broadly obconic; pappi usually of 5 scales 0.4–0.6 mm plus 5 bristles 1.2–2 mm
K. occidentalis
6. Peduncles mostly from branching, leafy stems; cypselae broadly columnar or barrel-shaped, slightly constricted at apices; pappi 0, or coroniform (minutes scales, rarely with 1–5 bristles).
K. wrightii
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 364. FNA vol. 19, p. 362. Authors: Kenton L. Chambers, Robert J. O’Kennon.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Krigia Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae
Sibling taxa
K. biflora, K. cespitosa, K. montana, K. occidentalis, K. virginica, K. wrightii
Subordinate taxa
K. biflora, K. cespitosa, K. dandelion, K. montana, K. occidentalis, K. virginica, K. wrightii
Synonyms Leontodon dandelion, Cynthia dandelion Apogon, Cymbia, Cynthia, Serinia, Troximon
Name authority (Linnaeus) Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 127. (1818) Schreber: Gen. Pl. 2: 532. (1791)
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