Microseris elegans
Microseris douglasii
elegant silverpuffs
Douglas' microseris, Douglas' silverpuffs
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 oblanceolate, 3–25 cm, margins entire, dentate, or pinnately lobed (lobes slender, tapering), apices acute to acuminate, faces ± scurfy-puberulent.
erect or curved-ascending, ebracteate.
erect or curved-ascending, ebracteate.
globose to ovoid in fruit, 4–8(–10) mm.
globose to fusiform in fruit, 7–16 mm.
5–100;
corollas yellow or orange, equaling or surpassing phyllaries by 1–2 mm.
5–200;
corollas yellow or white, equaling or surpassing phyllaries by 1–3 mm.
apices acute to acuminate, faces glabrous;
outer deltate;
inner lanceolate (midveins often purple, thickened).
apices erect, acute to acuminate;
outer deltate, glabrous or lightly scurfy-puberulent;
inner lanceolate, faces often lightly black-villous on margins (midveins often purple-lined, 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.
columnar or obconic, 3–10 mm;
pappi of (0–)1–5, white to yellow, brown, or blackish, aristate scales 0.5–7 mm (± arcuate, usually distinctly involute, except subsp. tenella, often abaxially villous, midveins usually tapering distally from thick bases, except subsp. tenella, widths less than 1/5 bodies), aristae (white or straw-colored, ± stout) barbellate.
= 18.
= 18.
Microseris elegans
Microseris douglasii
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.)
Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).
The geographic patterns of morphologic variability as well as both chloroplast and nuclear DNA markers in Microseris douglasii have been studied by K. Bachmann and J. Battjes (1994) and D. Roelofs and K. Bachmann (1997). Four chloroplast types were identified, two of which were derived by introgression from M. bigelovii or its ancestor. Plants in nature are highly inbred and genetically homozygous, as proposed earlier by K. L. Chambers (1955). Subspecies platycarpha stands well apart in these studies; subsp. tenella is not differentiated molecularly from subsp. douglasii.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Pappus scales usually 0.5–1 mm, sometimes nearly obsolete; cypselae truncate-fusiform, ribs constricted at apices; s, w-c California, mainly coastal and Coast Ranges | subsp. tenella |
1. Pappus scales 1–7 mm; cypselae columnar or obconic, ribs slightly flared at apices | → 2 |
2. Pappus scales (glabrous) 0.5 mm shorter to 2 mm longer than cypselae; cypselae obconic or columnar, 3–4.5 mm; sw California, n Baja California | subsp. platycarpha |
2. Pappus scales (glabrous or villous) usually 1–6 mm shorter than cypselae; cypselae columnar (slightly tapered distally), 4–10 mm; widespread in cismontane California, mainly n of the Transverse Ranges | subsp. douglasii |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
