Flora of North America species comparison

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Rafinesquia californica

Rafinesquia neomexicana

California chicory, California plumeseed, desert plume-seed

desert chicory, New Mexico plumeseed, plumeseed
Habit Plants 20–150 cm. Plants 15–60 cm.
Involucres

12–20 mm.

18–25 mm.
Cypselae

light tan or sordid, 9–14 mm, including very slender beaks 5–7 mm;

pappi of 6–15, wholly plumose bristles, barbs straight, separate.

12–18(–20) mm, including relatively stout beaks 3–6 mm;

pappi of 15–21, plumose (proximal 65–80%) bristles, barbs crooked, entangled.
Ligules

surpassing phyllaries by 5–7 mm.

surpassing phyllaries by 15–20 mm.
2n

= 16.

= 16.

Rafinesquia californica

Rafinesquia neomexicana
Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Open places in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, oak woodlands in northern and coastal California and southwestern Oregon (often found after fires), Upper Sonoran Zone Open sites, sandy soils, gravelly clay loams in Lower and Upper Sonoran Zones, often in Creosote Bush Scrub and Joshua Tree Woodland, Mojave and Colorado deserts
Elevation 100–1500 m (300–4900 ft) 200–1500 m (700–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 19, p. 349. FNA vol. 19, p. 349.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Rafinesquia Asteraceae > tribe Cichorieae > Rafinesquia
Sibling taxa
R. neomexicana
R. californica
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 429. (1841) A. Gray: Smithsonian Contr. Knowl. 5(6): 103. (1853)
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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