| Psilocarphus brevissimus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Psilocarphus |
| Species: | P. brevissimus |
| Binomial name | |
| Psilocarphus brevissimus Nutt. |
|
Psilocarphus brevissimus is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name short woollyheads. It is native to western North America from southwestern Canada, California, to northwestern Mexico, as well as southern South America, where it grows in moist flats, such as vernal pools, and similar areas.
Contents |
Psilocarphus brevissimus is a small, woolly annual herb growing just a few centimeters tall with a branching stem or multiple stems. The small, gray-green leaves are erect, pointing up parallel to the stem and sometimes appressed to it. The inflorescence is a small, spherical flower head which is a cluster of several tiny woolly disc flowers surrounded by leaflike bracts but no phyllaries. Each tiny flower is covered in a scale which is densely woolly with long white fibers, making the developing head appear cottony.
There are two varieties of Psilocarphus brevissimus, with one limited to the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta and surrounding parts of the Central Valley of California.[1] This variety, the Delta woolly marbles (var. multiflorus) is an uncommon plant associated with vernal pools.[2]