Krigia occidentalis
Krigia biflora
western dwarfdandelion
orange dwarfdandelion, two-flower cynthia, two-flower dwarf-dandelion
1–20+, ± scapiform, erect, eglandular or lightly glandular-villous.
1–5+, erect, scapiform, eglandular or glandular-villous distally.
basal (rosettes) and proximally cauline (on scarcely elongated branches close to ground); petiolate (petioles sometimes ciliate-glandular);
blades linear, oblanceolate, or obovate, 1–7 cm, margins entire or sparingly lobed, lobes linear or triangular to rounded, apices acute or obtuse, faces eglandular.
mostly basal (rosettes), some cauline (proximal);
petioles ± winged;
blades oblanceolate to obovate or spatulate, 5–25 cm, margins entire or remotely dentate to pinnately lobed, lobes narrow to bluntly triangular or rounded, apices acute to obtuse or rounded, faces glabrous, eglandular (usually glaucous);
cauline 1–4, sessile, lanceolate, bases sheathing or auriculate-clasping, usually entire, distalmost sometimes reduced, bractlike.
from basal rosettes.
usually in groups of 2–6 from axils of single or paired distal cauline bracts.
2.5–6.5 mm.
7–11 mm.
5–25;
corollas yellow, 5–9 mm.
25–60;
corollas orange or yellow-orange, 15–25 mm.
4–7, erect in fruit, lanceolate in flower, becoming ovate-lanceolate in fruit, midveins and sometimes secondary veins becoming prominent in fruit, curving inward at bases to form keels, apices acute.
8–18, reflexed in fruit, lanceolate, midveins obscure, apices acute, faces glabrous.
borne singly.
(2–)3–20+.
reddish brown, broadly obconic, 1.2–1.8 mm (apical areas broader than basal areoles), 10–15-ribbed;
pappi of 5, hyaline, rounded outer scales 0.4–0.6 mm plus usually 5, sometimes 0, scabrous inner bristles 1.2–2 mm.
reddish brown, columnar, 2–2.5 mm, 12–15-ribbed;
pappi of ca. 10 outer scales 0.3–0.5 mm plus 20–40, barbellulate inner bristles 4.5–5.5 mm.
= 12.
= 10, 20.
Krigia occidentalis
Krigia biflora
Krigia occidentalis grows in the Eastern deciduous forest biome, tallgrass prairie, and mixedgrass prairie. It has superficial similarity in pappus form to K. virginica; it was consistently placed as the sister species to K. cespitosa in chloroplast cpDNA and nuclear rDNA studies by K. J. Kim et al. (1992b, 1992c). In morphology, it is most similar to the polyploid species K. wrightii, with 2n = 18.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Krigia biflora is known from the Eastern deciduous forest biome, tallgrass prairie, Rocky Mountain forest, and Madrean woodlands. It appears to spread clonally by adventitious buds on the roots. It is related to the more leafy-stemmed, freely branching K. montana (K. J. Kim and B. L. Turner 1992); their habital differences are less clear where they are sympatric in the southern Appalachians. An alloploid hybrid between them has become established (see 3. K. montana).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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