Atrichoseris
Atrichoseris | |
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Atrichoseris platyphylla at Lake Mead | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Subfamily: | Cichorioideae |
Tribe: | Cichorieae |
Subtribe: | Microseridinae |
Genus: | Atrichoseris A.Gray |
Species: | A. platyphylla
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Binomial name | |
Atrichoseris platyphylla | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Atrichoseris is a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae.[2][1] It contains only one known species, Atrichoseris platyphylla, known by the common names tobacco weed, parachute plant, and gravel ghost.[3]
A. platyphylla is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States (southern California, Arizona, Nevada and the southwestern corner of Utah) and northwestern Mexico (Sonora, Baja California).[4][5][6]
The plant produces a low basal rosette of rounded leaves patterned with gray-green and purple patches at ground level. It sends up a weedy-looking thin branching stem up to 70 centimetres (28 inches) tall, topped with a number of attractive, fragrant white or pink-tinged flowers, about 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) wide,[4] the layered ray florets rectangular and toothed.[5][6] The flowers bloom between February and May.[4] The hairless fruit has the shape of a five-sided club.[4]
The genus name, Atrichoseris, means 'chicory plant without hairs', referring to the fruit, and the specific epithet, platyphylla, means 'flat-leaved'.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Gravel_Ghost%2C_Atrichoseris_platyphylla.jpg/220px-Gravel_Ghost%2C_Atrichoseris_platyphylla.jpg)
References
- ^ a b Tropicos, Atrichoseris A. Gray
- ^ Gray, Asa. 1884. Synoptical Flora of North America 1(2): 410
- ^ Flora of North America, Atrichoseris A. Gray in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(2): 410. 1884.
- ^ a b c d e Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. p. 357. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
- ^ a b Jepson Manual Treatment
- ^ a b Photo gallery
External links
Media related to Atrichoseris at Wikimedia Commons
- Calflora
- USDA Plants Profile