Flora of North America species comparison

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Microseris howellii

Howell's microseris, Howell's silverpuffs
Habit Perennials, 10–50 cm; taprooted.
Stems

branched proximally and often distally.
Leaves

basal and cauline; petiolate (petioles broadly winged, clasping);

blades linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 10–30 cm, margins entire, dentate, or pinnately lobed (lobes narrow, often retrorse).
Peduncles

erect (10–50 cm), ebracteate or leafy.
Involucres

narrowly ovoid in fruit, 8–17 mm.
Florets

8–30;

corollas yellow, surpassing phyllaries by 5+ mm.
Phyllaries

sometimes purple-spotted, apices erect, acuminate, abaxial faces glabrous or scurfy-puberulent, often black-villous;

outer lanceolate to deltate;

inner lanceolate.
Cypselae

columnar, 4–7 mm;

pappi of 5–10, white, lanceolate, glabrous, aristate scales 3–6 mm, aristae barbellulate.
2n

= 18.

Microseris howellii
Phenology Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Rocky serpentine soils, hillsides and alluvial flats, open shrublands and Pinus jeffreyi savannas
Elevation 300–1000 m (1000–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Microseris howellii is known only from exposures of peridotite in Josephine County, Oregon. Although related to M. laciniata, it is ecologically isolated from the co-occurring members of that complex. Because of its limited range, it is listed as a threatened taxon by the Oregon Natural Heritage Program (2004).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 343.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Microseris
Sibling taxa
M. acuminata, M. bigelovii, M. borealis, M. campestris, M. douglasii, M. elegans, M. laciniata, M. nutans, M. paludosa, M. sylvatica
Synonyms Scorzonella howellii
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 20: 300. (1885)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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