Palafoxia arida var. gigantea

Palafoxia arida var. gigantea, with the common name Spanish needles, is a species of flowering plant from the sunflower family (Asteraceae).[1]

Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Palafoxia
Species:
P. arida
Variety:
P. a. var. gigantea
Trinomial name
Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
(M.E.Jones) B.L.Turner & M.I.Morris

Distribution

It is found in the western and northwestern Sonoran Desert of Arizona and its Colorado Desert subregion of southeastern California,[1] and in northwestern Mexico in Sonora and Baja California states.[2]

It is most commonly found in sand dunes, and sometimes in riverine areas, including along the Colorado River, Gila River, and irrigation canals in Imperial County, California.

It is a California Native Plant Society listed Vulnerable species in California.[3]

Description

Palafoxia arida var. gigantea is an erect, slender stem grows 30–60 cm tall, branching in the lower half and is sparsely leaved.[2] It is glandular and hairy on the upper parts.[2]

It has 2-5 inch slender leaves.[4][5]

In the Yuma region of the Lower Colorado River Valley, in semi-shaded sites with annual but sparse rainfall, single plants can grow to be bushy and produce around 100 flowers.

The wind-borne seeds are dandelion-like, but larger and in a smaller quantity per flower. The plant with seed is easily identified since the seeds splay out in a flat circle until broken from the plant by strong wind. The seed is macroscopic in size, with about 10-16 seeds per circular flower-splay, each seed up to 0.6 in before the parachute.

See also
  • Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
  • Natural history of the Colorado Desert

References
  1. "USDA: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea". Archived from the original on 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
  2. "Jepson eFlora: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea". Archived from the original on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  3. "California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-02): Palafoxia arida var. gigantea". Archived from the original on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  4. "Desertusa.com: High Res. photo of Palafoxia arida var. gigantea flower". Archived from the original on 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
  5. "Desertusa.com: Wildflower Field Guide — "Purple and Blue Blooms"". Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.