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 Leaves Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) |  Plant Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) |  Phyllaries Sue Carnahan @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial) |  Flowers and fruit Sue Carnahan @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: CC BY-NC (Attribution-Non-Commercial) | | |
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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Annual
General Desc:
Annual with few to many erect or spreading stems, delicate to hardy, at times persisting after maturity. Hairy leaves have round to pointy divisions. Small, showy, white, daisy-like flowers with yellow centers grow singly or in clusters at the stem tips.
Identification notes: Annual; few to many erect or spreading stems; leaves rounded to heart-shaped; ray flowers usually 8 to 14, white; disc flowers yellow, 40 to 100 or more; achene margins thin (not calloused), topped with 0 or 1 barbed bristle and a crown of scales.
Height:
To about 2 feet
Habitat Description: Primarily found in sandy or gravelly soil on desert plains, in washes (areas with spiny shrubs having sporadic streams), on rocky slopes, canyons, cliffs and hillsides especially among larger rocks. Often associated with creosote bush scrub communities.
Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub,
Elevation: Below 3000 feet
Color:
White, yellow center
Shape:
Daisy or dandelion-like in round clusters
Tubular:
N
Flowering Period:
Feb - Oct
Description:
A 1/2 inch wide flower head consists of 8 to 14 strap-shaped white ray flowers encircling 40 to 100+ yellow tube-like disc flowers which form a rounded cone in the center when mature. Below the flower head are many green, hairy, flat leaf-like bracts.
Leaf Color:
Green
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Round or oval
Leaf Margin:
Toothed
Leaf Attachment:
Alternate and opposite
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Leaves are short-stemmed, rounded to heart-shaped, at times triangular, about 2-1/2 inches long, 2 inches wide and deeply divided with pointed or lobed margins. Most leaves are alternately attached on the upper stem but may be opposite near the stem base.
Fruit Color: Black
Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: Dry fruit is 1-seeded, 1/16 to 1/8 inch long with thin hairy margins and does not split open to release the seed when mature. Its shape is sub-oblong (2x as long as wide) or lance-shaped or wedge-shaped and may have 1 hooked hair-like bristle at the top.
Seed Notes: 1 seed is produced by the fruit. The surface of the seed (seed coat) is not attached to the wall of the fruit making it easier to disperse when mature. The bristle at the top of the fruit (pappus), if present, also aids in the seed's dispersal.
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