Plant Image
Flower heads


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Acourtia nana - dwarf desert peony

Synonyms: Perezia nana
Other Common Names: desert holly, dwarf desert-peony, dwarf desertpeony
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Asteraceae


   
 
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Leaves
Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Plant
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Perennial
General Desc: A woody root base, (rhizome) covered with thick brown short matted hair forms a platform for the stems; stems are short, 2 to 11-1/2 inches; leaves clasping, pale green, holly-like with spines; flowers bisexual, 15 to 24 per flower head.
Identification notes: Flower heads are solitary at the ends of branches, disc flowers only, bracts in series of 4 to 5 form a 3/4 inch long bell-shaped base below the fragrant 15 to 24 2-lipped, 1/2 inch long flowers. Flowers are 5-lobed. Stems up to 11-1/2 inches long.
Height: 2 to 11-1/2 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Found on mesas, arid plains, steep slopes; soils are often gravelly or silty and composed of sandstone or limestone; frequently grows under shrubs. More common in desert scrub.
Plant Communities: Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland
Elevation: Below 3500 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Pink, purple or white     Shape: Daisy or dandelion-like not in clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Mar - Jun
Description: Flower heads solitary at branch ends, stems up to 4 inches long; flower head bracts in 4 to 5 series form a 3/4 inch long bell-shaped base below 15 to 24 2-lipped disc flowers, 2 lobes on one side and 3 lobes on the other, lobes 1/2 inch long; fragrant.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Pale green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Round or oval     Leaf Margin: Toothed     Leaf Attachment: Opposite     Leaves Clasp: Y
Hairs: No     Spines: Y
Leaf Description: Stems are short, 2 to 11-1/2 inches tall; clasping leaves resemble a holly leaf, oval to round, toothed with spines, leathery, pale green, veins conspicuous on both sides.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: Fruit is dry, linear, 1/4 inch long, covered with fine short hairs, strongly ribbed, does not open when ripe; the top of the fruit (apex) has many 1/2 to 3/4 inch long silky, silvery white to tawny hairs (pappus).
Seed Notes: 1 seed per fruit, attached to the ovary wall at a single point.



  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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