Atrichoseris

<i>Atrichoseris</i>

Atrichoseris

Genus of flowering plants

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]

Quick Facts Atrichoseris, Scientific classification ...

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]

Gravel ghosts in Death Valley National Park, March 2005.

References

  1. [1]
    Tropicos, Atrichoseris A. Gray
  2. [2]
    Gray, Asa. 1884. Synoptical Flora of North America 1(2): 410
  3. [3]
    Flora of North America, Atrichoseris A. Gray in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1(2): 410. 1884.
  4. [4]
    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.
  5. [5]
    Jepson Manual Treatment
  6. [6]
    Photo gallery


Stub icon

This Cichorieae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Atrichoseris, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.