Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
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| Variety: | P. arida var. gigantea
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| 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]
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
References
- ^ a b USDA: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
- ^ a b c Jepson eFlora: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
- ^ California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-02): Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
- ^ Desertusa.com: High Res. photo of Palafoxia arida var. gigantea flower
- ^ Desertusa.com: Wildflower Field Guide — "Purple and Blue Blooms"
External links
- Calflora Database: Palafoxia arida var. gigantea (Giant Spanish needle)
- USDA Plants Profile for Palafoxia arida var. gigantea (giant Spanish needle)
- Jepson eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
- U.C. Photos gallery of Palafoxia arida var. gigantea
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