Plant Image
Flower
Pioneer Park - Sue Smith


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Machaeranthera tagetina - mesa tansyaster

Synonyms: Aster tagetinus
Other Common Names: mesa tansy-aster
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Asteraceae


   
 
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Flowers
Willow Lake Tr
Sue Smith
Leaf
Pioneer Park
Sue Smith
Plant - fall
Willow Lake Tr
Sue Smith
Plant - summer
Willow Dells
Sue Smith
Plant - summer
Pioneer Park
Sue Smith
Seedhead
Pioneer Park
Sue Smith
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Biennial or annual   Similar Species: Machaeranthera tanacetifolia
General Desc: Taprooted annual or possibly biennial under favorable conditions. Stems slender, moderately branched, hairy, may or may not have gland tipped hairs, slightly ash gray.
Identification notes: Annual with slender hairy and glandular herbage. Lower leaves pinnatifid, spine-tipped; upper leaves smaller with toothed margins. Flower head bracts taper to a point on both ends, tips erect, not narrower than their base. Achenes are bristle-tipped.
Height: 5 to 20 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Found on arid mesas, grasslands, creosote bush dominated desert scrub, pine-oak woodlands, roadsides, stream beds.
Plant Communities: Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Riparian, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: Below 4500 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Purple     Shape: Daisy or dandelion-like not in clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Mar - Oct
Description: Purple with yellow centers, purple ray flowers 8 to 16, yellow disc flowers 14 to 40. Below the flower head are 24 to 44 narrow bracts in 3 to 5 series.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Grayish-green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Pinnatifid     Leaf Margin: Lobed     Leaf Attachment: Alternate     Leaves Clasp: Y
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: Y
Leaf Description: Lower leaves with 3 to 7 spine-tipped lobes. Upper leaves smaller with toothed margins. Leaves and stems are very hairy and glandular.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Brown   
Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: Achenes are slender, covered with silky hairs and bear bristles at the top.


  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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