Microseris elegans
Microseris bigelovii
elegant silverpuffs
coast microseris, coastal microseris, coastal silver puffs
0.
0.
basal; petiolate;
blades linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 2–20 cm, margins entire, dentate, or pinnately lobed, apices acuminate, faces glabrous or lightly scurfy-puberulent.
basal; petiolate;
blades linear to narrowly elliptic or spatulate, 3–25 cm, margins entire, dentate, or pinnately lobed, apices acuminate to obtuse, faces glabrous or lightly scurfy-puberulent.
erect or curved-ascending, ebracteate.
erect or curved-ascending, ebracteate.
globose to ovoid in fruit, 4–8(–10) mm.
ovoid to fusiform in fruit, 5–14 mm.
5–100;
corollas yellow or orange, equaling or surpassing phyllaries by 1–2 mm.
5–100;
corollas yellow or orange, equaling or surpassing phyllaries by 1–3 mm.
apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous;
outer deltate;
inner lanceolate (midveins often purple, thickened).
apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous;
outer deltate;
inner lanceolate (midveins often purple, thickened).
columnar to obconic, 1.5–3 mm;
pappi of (4–)5 white or brownish, ovate to deltate, aristate scales 0.2–2.5 mm (straight or slightly arcuate, scarcely involute, glabrous, midveins linear, widths less than 1/5 bodies, thicker at base), aristae (brown, fine) barbellulate.
truncate-fusiform, 2.5–5.5 mm;
pappi of 5 silvery to blackish, deltate to lanceolate, aristate scales 1–4 mm (slightly arched at bases, flat, glabrous, midveins linear, widths less than 1/5 bodies, thicker at bases), aristae (brown, fine) barbellulate.
= 18.
= 18.
Microseris elegans
Microseris bigelovii
Microseris elegans is widespread in interior central California, becoming coastal in the southwestern part of its range. It was hypothesized to be one of the diploid ancestors of M. campestris (K. L. Chambers 1955); molecular evidence supporting that relationship was presented by D. Roelofs et al. (1997).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Microseris bigelovii is the most characteristically coastal of the annual taxa and the only one to include plants with obtuse, spatulate leaves (K. Bachmann et al. 1984). A statistical analysis of its morphologic variation was published by Bachmann (1992). It sometimes has been collected at inland sites at 500–600 m, where the cypselae may have been introduced by domestic animals. The northern populations near Victoria, British Columbia, and the San Juan Islands, Washington, are disjunct from the main range, which extends from Oregon to Santa Barbara County, California.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
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- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
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