Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
| Palafoxia arida var. gigantea | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Palafoxia |
| Species: | |
| Variety: | P. a. var. gigantea
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Palafoxia arida var. gigantea | |
Palafoxia arida var. gigantea, with the common name Spanish needles, is a variety of flowering plant from the sunflower family (Asteraceae).[2]
Distribution
It is found in the western and northwestern Sonoran Desert of Arizona and its Colorado Desert subregion of southeastern California,[2] and in northwestern Mexico in Sonora and Baja California states.[3]
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.[4]
Description
Palafoxia arida var. gigantea is an erect, slender stem grows 30–60 cm tall, branching in the lower half and is sparsely leaved.[3] It is glandular and hairy on the upper parts.[3]
It has 2-5 inch slender leaves.[5][6]
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.
References
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
- ^ a b "USDA: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea". Archived from the original on 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
- ^ a b c "Jepson eFlora: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea". Archived from the original on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Desertusa.com: High Res. photo of Palafoxia arida var. gigantea flower". Archived from the original on 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
- ^ "Desertusa.com: Wildflower Field Guide — "Purple and Blue Blooms"". Archived from the original on 2008-01-18. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
